Act Now, Genocide, Rohingya

Alert: Rohingya – Demand better treatment of refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar

2 September 2020

IHRC urges campaigners to write to their foreign ministers to put pressure on the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh to bring justice for the Rohingya.

Background

Requested Action

Model Template

Recipient addresses

Background

The persecution of Rohingyas has been ongoing for decades, however recently, since October 2016, there has been a large escalation of attacks. While it is still continuing in parts of Myanmar, some of the worst humanitarian catastrophes have already occurred. It is estimated that more than 20,000 people were killed, with thousands of Rohingya internally displaced, accompanied by rapes, looting, torture and beatings.

According to the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), as of March 2019, over 909,000 Rohingya refugees have gathered in Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, which is now home to the world’s largest refugee camp. There they remain, refusing early repatriation due to fear for their lives. IHRC has conducted a field visit to Cox’s Bazaar and listened to the accounts of Rohingyas that chime with evidence collected by other human rights organisations: widespread and unlawful killings as well as rape carried out by the Myanmar security forces, at times with the support of vigilante mobs in their execution of a scorched-earth campaign.

In November 2019, three separate judicial actions were undertaken against Myanmar. The charges are the same in each: genocide and other human rights abuses committed against the Rohingya minority in that country.

As expected, the Myanmar government has not accepted any of these proceedings and claims that its own agencies will investigate any crime. However, no investigation has taken place since the crackdown on the Rohingya began three years ago and moreover there is overwhelming evidence that the government itself contributed to the planning and the execution of the genocide.

Action required

To find out more about the campaign, visit the campaign page here.

Requested Action

Write to the foreign ministers in your respective countries regarding the situation of Rohingyas urging them to take action. At the end of the alert, details are provided for campaigners in Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UK and USA.

Model Template

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Date]

For the attention of [insert Foreign Minister’s name]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am deeply concerned by the situation of the Rohingya. Reports have shown that 20,000 people have been killed, accompanied by rapes, looting, torture and beatings. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have been internally displaced and this has also caused a refugee crisis in Bangladesh where reports show 909,000 people reside. While the persecution still continues in parts of Myanmar, some of the worst humanitarian catastrophes have already occurred.

I therefore request you to take action to pressure the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh demanding an end to all the injustices taking place against the Rohingya. I am also deeply concerned with the situation of the refugees in Bangladesh, where the living conditions are barely habitable and the reports of rape and abuse that have been taking place in these camps.

I also urge you to seek assurances from your Myanmarese and Bangladeshi counterparts that they will put a stop to all the crimes being committed and that they will account for all deaths and abuses that have taken place. Further, please call on the Bangladeshi authorities to protect all the refugees residing in Cox’s Bazar, and to appropriately address the root cause of the refugee crisis.

Yours sincerely,

[Your signature]

Your name

Recipient addresses:

Selected names and email addresses of Ministers of Foreign Affairs can be found below. Please contact us info@ihrc.org if you have trouble finding the details of your country’s Minister.

Australia

Senator Marise Payne

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Senator.Payne@aph.gov.au

Bangladesh

HE Mr. AK Abdul Momen, MP

Foreign Minister

fm@mofa.gov.bd

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Igor Crnadak

Minister of Foreign Affairs

info_mvpbih@mvp.gov.ba