Rohingya Bodies Hail Gambia for Registering a Case Against Myanmar for 'Persecuting' Community

Guwahati, November 16, 2019:

A group of Rohingya organizations has hailed the move of the Gambia for registering a case against Myanmar’s persecution and genocide at the ICJ on November 11, on behalf of the organization of Islamic cooperation.

In an official statement undersigned by seven organizations working for the Rohingya community, it was stated, “We the seven undersigned Rohingya refugee networks in Bangladesh welcome Gambia’s courageous move to bring the case against Myanmar at the ICJ on November 11 on behalf of the organization of Islamic cooperation.”

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The signatories of the letter are Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, Voice of Rohingya, Association of Rohingya Students, Rohingya Students’ Union, Rohingya Women’s Education Initiative, Rohingya Youth for Legal Action and Youth Empowerment Centre- Rohingya

The Rohingya population in Myanmar have been subjected to policies of operation against our ethnical identity, citizenship, and systematic persecution carried out by Myanmar’s military since 1962, the statement read.

The statement also mentioned that in the latest wave of Myanmar’s military operation in August 2017, against our Rohingya in Rakhine state prompted the world’s fastest exodus after the 1994’s Rwanda genocide and more than 7,00,000 Rohingya people fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

It added, “Now in Bangladesh, more than 1 million refugees. We have been surviving relying on humanitarian aides. We thank the Bangladesh government for giving us safety.”

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There are up to 6,00,000 Rohingya remaining in Rakhine state today. They are subjected to ongoing Myanmar government persecution and violence. These people are in danger of further genocidal acts from Myanmar’s government, added the organizations in the statement.

The organization further added, “We are Myanmar’s genocide survivors. We are the witnesses of the genocide. We, therefore, determined ourselves to support the Gambia for collecting and preserving evidence of the atrocities for future prosecutions.”

“We, Rohingya refugee networks in the Bangladesh camps further call on all the United Nations member states to support the Gambia in their case against Myanmar at ICJ. We Rohingya long for justice and accountability for our community,” it added further.

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