AJC STATEMENT ON SIXTH ROHINGYA REMEMBRANCE DAY

On 25 August, the Asia Justice Coalition released a statement to mark the sixth anniversary of the Rohingya Remembrance Day and expressed its deep concern regarding the proposed ‘pilot project’ aimed at forceful repatriation of the Rohingya. The statement strongly asserted that any repatriation must ensure that the Rohingya are included in the talks and the return of refugees is voluntary, informed, safe, and dignified. However, the present condition in Myanmar is far from conducive to meeting these requirements. If anything, the situation in Rakhine State has worsened since the 2021 military coup.

AJC MEMBERS ON ROHINGYA REMEMBRANCE DAY

On 25 August, Asia Justice Coalition members, including GCR2P, AJAR, and LAW marked the sixth anniversary of the 2017 exodus of the Rohingya following the so-called ‘clearance operations’ in Rakhine State by the Myanmar military. The members called on the international justice processes to move swiftly to ensure justice for Rohingya and the international community to take stronger and more effective actions, including making a reference to the International Criminal Court, imposing targeted sanctions and global arms embargo.

BHRN WEBINAR ON 'SEEKING JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE ROHINGYA'

On 24 August, Burma Human Rights Network organised a panel discussion on 'Seeking Justice and Accountability for the Rohingya' with AJC members Kyaw Win (BHRN) Tun Khin (Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK), Pavani NagarajaBhat (Fortify Rights), and Lucky Karim (Women’s Rights Network), Chris Gunness (Director, Myanmar Accountability Project), MR Hussein Thomasi (Solicitor General of The Gambia), and Veronica Pedrosa (Al Jazeera).

HRW: ‘FUTURE BLEAK FOR ROHINGYA IN BANGLADESH, MYANMAR’

On 20 August, Human Rights Watch called on the UN Security Council to take concrete, meaningful action to hold Myanmar’s generals accountable for crimes against humanity and acts of genocide against the Rohingya. According to HRW, ‘the UN and concerned governments should continue to underscore that conditions for the safe, sustainable, and dignified return of Rohingya do not currently exist.’ 

AJC – OPINIO JURIS SYMPOSIUM ON MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATY

From 24 July to 4 August, Asia Justice Coalition and Opinio Juris curated a virtual symposium titled: ‘Ljubljana – The Hague Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance: Critical Reflections’. This joint event aimed to renew the attention of the international community towards the fight against impunity, review the text of the new Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and the process that led to its adoption, clarify the mandate, and highlight the benefits of the treaty, and call on States to ratify the Convention. The symposium witnessed 11 posts by 13 contributors – including, AJC’s secretariat staff Dr Priya Pillai and Jennifer Keene-McCann as well as representatives from AJC members such as Hugo Relva (Amnesty International) and Raquel Saavedra (ICJ), and Vaios Koutroulis, Julie Bardèche, Danaé van der Straten Ponthoz, Leanna Burnard, Frederika Schweighoferova, Ezéchiel Amani Cirimwami, Bruno Biazatti, and Pamela Capizzi.

BROUK & GJC WEBINAR ON 'ROHINGYA GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION: A TIME FOR REFLECTION, INCLUSIVITY, AND SOLIDARITY'

On 24 August, AJC members Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK and Global Justice Center and others held a panel discussion on 'Rohingya Genocide Commemoration: A time for reflection, inclusivity, and solidarity' with Akila Radhakrishnan (President, Global Justice Center), Tun Khin (President, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK), Tom Andrews (UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar), Naw Hser Hser (Women's League of Burma), and Rachel Gore Freed (UUSC). The recording is available here.

CPJ: HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON ROHINGYA REMEMBRANCE DAY

On 25 August, Asia Justice Coalition member Manzoor Hasan OBE (Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University) participated in a high-level panel commemorating Rohingya Remembrance Day along with Urza Zeya (Under Secretary, US State Department), Bob Rae (Ambassador of Canada to the UN), Riaz Hamidullah (Bangladesh Ambassador), Tom Andrews (UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar), Nicholas Koumjian (Head, IIMM), Arsalan Suleman (Counsel, Foley Haag), and others. The recording is available here.

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘COMPLY WITH WORLD COURT RULINGS, END ONGOING GENOCIDE AGAINST ROHINGYA’

On 24 August, Fortify Rights published a video documenting how the Myanmar military junta is coercing Rohingya to accept the National Verification Card (NVCs) which identifies them as foreigners rather than a citizen and called on the military junta to end the ongoing Rohingya genocide.

AI: ‘TIME FOR META TO PAY REPARATIONS TO ROHINGYA FOR ROLE IN ETHNIC CLEANSING’

On 24 August, Amnesty International called on Meta to immediately pay reparations to the Rohingya for the role that Facebook played in the ethnic cleansing of the persecuted minority group. According to Amnesty, ‘Facebook’s algorithms and Meta’s ruthless pursuit of profit created an echo chamber that helped foment hatred of the Rohingya people and contributed to the conditions which forced the ethnic group to flee Myanmar en masse.’

GJC MARKS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF ROHINGYA GENOCIDE

On 25 August, Asia Justice Coalition member Akila Radhakrishnan (President, Global Justice Center) called for stronger and coordinated international action on Myanmar and for the Rohingya. She reiterated that 'impunity is the foundation upon which genocidal military leaders staged their coup in 2021, and it continues to serve as fuel for its brutal campaigns of persecution'.

AJC SECRETARIAT ACTIVITIES

Asia Justice Coalition secretariat head Dr Priya Pillai participated in International Criminal Court's Roundtable on Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) Policy. On 24 August, the AJC secretariat held its first Women in International Justice and Accountability (WIJA) Project Board meeting with 10 eminent women leaders and subject matter experts across Asia.

LAW: ‘SIX YEARS AFTER THE MYANMAR MILITARY COMMITTED INTERNATIONAL CRIMES AGAINST THE ROHINGYA, SURVIVORS ARE STILL SEEKING JUSTICE IN COURTS AROUND THE WORLD’

On 25 August, Asia Justice Coalition member Nick Leddy (Head of Litigation, Legal Action Worldwide) wrote a blog post tracing the movement of international justice processes seeking justice and accountability for the Rohingya and reiterating the fact that it is ‘more important than ever that justice actors across the world keep the pressure on the Myanmar military in each of th[e] legal fora to ensure an end to impunity for their crimes.’

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘BANGLADESH: ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE CORRUPTION, TORTURE OF ROHINGYA REFUGEES’

On 10 August, Fortify Rights published a new investigative report and found that members of Bangladesh’s specialised police force have used torture, illegal detention, and extortion against the Rohingya in the refugee camps. Fortify Rights calls on the Bangladesh government to hold police accountable.

GJC: ‘ADVANCING GENDER JUSTICE IN THE DRAFT INTERNATIONAL CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY TREATY’

On 23 August, the Global Justice Center published a Toolkit on Gender Justice and the Draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention. The toolkit provides a snapshot of the position of States and the process ahead at the UN Sixth Committee concerning the ILC Draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention.

IIMM: ‘THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE FOR ROHINGYA – SIX YEARS ON’

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) announced that it is now ‘collecting testimonies and other evidence about the physical violence inflicted on so many Rohingya people and has also begun a dedicated enquiry into the businesses, farms and other property that was taken away from them.’

OHCHR: ‘COMMENT BY THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON MYANMAR’

On 24 August, Volker Türk called on States fully to support the ongoing international accountability efforts for the Rohingya. According to Türk, his ‘most fervent wish is to be able to return to their homes in dignity, in freedom and properly recognised as part of the diversity of Myanmar’s population. Their human rights must be fully respected and their security guaranteed. This is currently not the case given the precarious conditions in Rakhine State.’

AP NEWS: ‘MYANMAR’S MILITARY-LED GOVERNMENT EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY, FORCING DELAY IN PROMISED ELECTION’

On 31 July, the Associated Press reported that the National Defense and Security Council has extended the state of emergency for another six months because time is needed to prepare for the elections. The state of emergency was declared when troops arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and top officials from her government and members of her National League for Democracy party on Feb. 1, 2021. 

IRRAWADDY: ‘MYANMAR WON’T ASSUME ROTATING ASEAN CHAIR IN 2026: ASIAN MEDIA’

On 16 August, the Irrawaddy reported that the ASEAN chair will be held by the Philippines in 2026. The chair is currently held by Indonesia, which will be succeeded by Laos next year and Malaysia in 2025.

‘UN EXPERT DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE ROHINGYA AND AN END TO ‘PARALYSIS OF INDIFFERENCE’

On 24 August, Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, called on world leaders to end the paralysis of indifference and take action to hold the architects and perpetrators of this violence [Myanmar military] to account while supporting Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons.

UNOCHA: ‘LACK OF ACCESS AND FUNDING HAMPERING AID TO 18 MILLION PEOPLE IN MYANMAR’

On 17 August, Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, called for expanded humanitarian access and increased funding to assist the 18 million people in need of aid across Myanmar. He expressed his ‘concerns about the protection risks facing civilians in conflict areas and the bureaucratic constraints [...] humanitarians are facing in reaching them.

IIMM: ‘WAR CRIMES BY MYANMAR MILITARY ARE MORE FREQUENT AND BRAZEN’

On 8 August, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) presented its Annual Report and found strong evidence that the Myanmar military and its affiliate militias are committing increasingly frequent and brazen war crimes in the country. According to Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism, “[o]ur evidence points to a dramatic increase in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, with widespread and systematic attacks against civilians...’

ALJAZEERA: ‘UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS MYANMAR MILITARY OVER ‘UNRELENTING VIOLENCE’

On 24 August, Aljazeera reported that the 13 members of the United Nations Security Council – with the exception of veto-wielding China and Russia – have condemned the “unrelenting violence” raging across Myanmar following a closed-door briefing on the crisis. The members called on the Myanmar military to end the violence and stop killing civilians, noting there had been “insufficient progress” on implementing December’s landmark Security Council resolution on Myanmar.