CPJ: ROHINGYA ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

 

On 27 August, the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, organised a seminar titled ‘Myanmar- Where are we now?’. Previously, on 21 August, the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, in partnership with the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance, North South University, held a panel discussion: ‘Managing the Rohingya Crisis: Alternatives and Challenges’.

 

BROUK: PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE ONGOING ATROCITIES IN ARAKAN

 

On 26 August, Asia Justice Coalition member Tun Khin (President, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK) participated in a Women's Peace Network panel discussion on 'Ongoing Atrocities in Arakan: Ignorance and Silence' along with Wai Wai Nu, Khin Ohmar, and Thin Lei Win. The full recording of the event is available here.

 

CPJ, LAW: PANEL DISCUSSION ON ‘JUSTICE FOR THE ROHINGYA

 

On 25 August, the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, in collaboration with Legal Action Worldwide, convened a discussion marking eight years since the 2017 atrocities to examine what justice means for Rohingya communities today with Greg Constantine, M. Sanjeeb Hossain (CPJ), Ishita Kumar and Aditi P. (LAW). The panel was convened on the sideline of the ongoing exhibition “Ek Khaale: Once Upon A Time”, marking eight years since the 2017 Rohingya influx into Bangladesh.

 

LAW: ‘FROM GENOCIDE TO COUP, JUSTICE FOR THE ROHINGYA REMAINS ELUSIVE’

 

On 25 August, AJC members Antonia Mulvey (Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide) and Lucien Christen (Communications Manager, LAW) co-authored an op-ed in The Diplomat calling for urgent global action for justice and reparations for the Rohingya.

 

LAW, BROUK, FORTIFY: ROHINGYA STAKEHOLDERS’ DIALOGUE

 

From 24-25 August, AJC members Legal Action Worldwide, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, and Fortify Rights attended the ‘Rohingya Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaway to the High-Level Conference on the Rohingya situation’ in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. LAW’s Antonietta Trapani (Program Coordinator, Rohingya Programme) joined the panel on ‘accountability and justice for atrocities committed against Rohingyas’ and Tun Khin (President, BROUK) delivered a statement on the challenges and way forward for the Rohingya community.

FORTIFY, HRW: WEBINAR ON THE ONGOING ATROCITIES AGAINST THE ROHINGYA IN THE RAKHINE STATE

 

On 23 August, AJC members Meenakshi Ganguly (Deputy Director, HRW) and John Quinley (Director, Fortify) participated in a webinar to launch a report entitled ‘The Ashes of Rakhine’ documenting the ongoing atrocities against the Rohingya in the Rakhine State from November 2023 – August 2024'.

 

HRW, FORTIFY, BROUK, BHRN, AI: ‘ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED FOR MYANMAR ATROCITIES AGAINST ROHINGYA’

 

On 22 August, AJC members Human Rights Watch, Fortify Rights, Amnesty International, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, Burma Human Rights Network, and other civil society organisations issued a statement calling for accountability for Myanmar atrocities against Rohingya. The statement expressed concerns about the lack of Rohingya representation at the conference and the need for a wider spectrum of voices, including Rohingya women, youth, and diverse Rohingya-led civil society from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the global diaspora.

 

HRW: ‘AID CUTS PUT MYANMAR REFUGEES AT GRAVE RISK’

 

On 11 August, Human Rights Watch reported that more than 100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have lost access to essential food and medical aid due to US funding cuts, putting them at serious risk. According to HRW, “Donor countries should cover the urgent gaps in camp funding while encouraging Thailand to allow refugees to be self-reliant. Granting refugees permission to work and travel would give them tools for the future while supporting Thailand’s economic growth.”

 

LAW: ‘MYANMAR’S FORGOTTEN WAR, CIVILIANS DEMAND JUSTICE AS VIOLENCE ESCALATES’

 

On 8 August, the Legal Action Worldwide published a statement to mark the 37th anniversary of the student-led uprising of 8 August 1988 and called upon the international community to  denounce the sham elections unequivocally and publicly. LAW further called upon UN Member States to apply sanctions against the military regime to be enforced, not just in name but in practice—particularly by targeting companies and banks that continue to profit from military-linked ventures—and to initiate structural investigations and adopt national legislation to pursue universal jurisdiction, ensuring perpetrators of grave violations in international laws are prosecuted and held accountable.  

 

‘SYSTEMATIC DENIAL OF HEALTHCARE LEADING TO ALARMING NUMBER OF DEATHS IN CUSTODY’

 

On 5 August, Fortify Rights and Amnesty International co-signed a joint letter calling upon the Myanmar military to put an immediate end to the torture and other ill-treatment of detainees. The statement called upon Myanmar’s military junta to put an end to the torture and other ill-treatment of detainees and to allow detainees timely and adequate access to healthcare and medical treatment, including being allowed to visit hospitals outside prisons to seek treatment that is not available in prison.

AP NEWS: ‘MYANMAR WILL START NATIONAL ELECTIONS ON DEC. 28 THOUGH MUCH OF THE COUNTRY IS WRACKED BY WAR’

 

On 19 August, the Associated Press reported that ‘Myanmar will hold nationwide elections beginning December 28, setting a date for polls that have been denounced as a sham to normalize the army’s 2021 seizure of power even as much of the country is wracked by civil war…The military government enacted an election law last month that carries a potential death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts the elections.’

 

IIMM: ‘MYANMAR MECHANISM ADVANCES ITS IDENTIFICATION OF PERPETRATORS’

 

On 12 August, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar released its seventh annual report and said it had made important progress documenting crimes and identifying those responsible, including commanders of security forces overseeing detention facilities. The report, which focuses on the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, details the documented torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities, which includes beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, gang rape, burning of sexual body parts, and other forms of sexual violence. 

 

‘WFP URGES LIFE-SAVING SUPPORT FOR MYANMAR'S RAKHINE STATE AS HUNGER SURGES’

 

On 12 August, the World Food Programme urgently called for more humanitarian support in Rakhine State, where a deadly combination of conflict, blockades, and funding cuts is driving a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition. According to WFP, “In central Rakhine, the number of families not able to afford to meet basic food needs has reached 57 percent, up from 33 percent in December 2024. While these findings suggest alarming levels of food insecurity, indicating a worsening of the acute malnutrition situation in central Rakhine, it is expected that the situation in northern Rakhine is much worse due to active conflict and access issues.”

 

CICC SEMINAR ON THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

On 22 September, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court will host an in-person and online seminar on ‘Pursuing Justice: The Philippines, the ICC, and the Fight for Accountability’. Register here to attend the event.

 

UNHCR WELCOMES ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION PROVIDING LONG-TERM REFUGEES THE RIGHT TO WORK

 

On 24 August, UNHCR welcomed the Royal Thai Government’s adoption of a resolution that will grant long-staying refugees from Myanmar the right to work in Thailand. According to UNHCR. “Recognizing the protracted situation of some 81,000 forcibly displaced people hosted in temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border, this policy shift will enable refugees to work legally in the country and contribute meaningfully to the Thai economy.”

IIMM: “ROHINGYA'S SAFE RETURN TO MYANMAR IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL CRIMES AGAINST THEM END AND PERPETRATORS HELD ACCOUNTABLE”

 

On 21 August, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) published a statement reiterating that ending the violence and atrocities against civilians from all communities in Rakhine is critical for the eventual safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of those that have been displaced. According to the IIMM, “The more than one million Rohingya forcibly displaced to Bangladesh will not be able to safely and sustainably return to Myanmar until the violence against them ends and perpetrators can be brought to justice.”

 

UN SECRETARY GENERAL’S STATEMENT ON THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DISPLACEMENT OF ROHINGYA PEOPLE AND OTHER COMMUNITIES FROM MYANMAR

 

On 22 August, the UN Secretary-General issued a statement calling for the protection of all civilians in accordance with applicable obligations under international law and stressed the urgent need for strengthened international solidarity and increased support, in parallel to efforts toward a comprehensive political solution that meaningfully includes the Rohingya and addresses their displacement and the root causes of the protracted crisis. The Secretary-General is hopeful that the 30 September High–level Conference on Rohingya and other minorities in New York, as mandated by the United Nations General Assembly, will draw renewed international attention to the urgency of finding durable solutions.

 

OHCHR: ‘EIGHT YEARS AFTER BRUTAL MILITARY ASSAULT, ROHINGYA SUFFERING CONTINUES’

 

On 22 August, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that both the military and the Arakan Army have committed and continue to commit serious atrocity crimes against the Rohingya with impunity — in flagrant violation of international law, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called upon the international community to step up support for the Rohingya by increasing humanitarian funding to secure access to basic needs and essential services, and to resolutely support international accountability processes.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL REPORT ON CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE

 

On 27 August, the UN Secretary-General report on conflict related sexual violence was published. According to the report, in 2024, reports of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated against women, men, girls, boys and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons, predominantly by the Myanmar armed forces during military operations, at checkpoints, and in detention, displacement sites, and agricultural fields, continued to emerge. With the conflict re-escalated in Rakhine State between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, Rohingya and ethnic women were reportedly raped, gang raped and killed by both members of the Arakan Army and the military, propelling mass displacement.