104 British MPs ask UK govt to support ICJ Rohingya case

NEWAGE

Diplomatic Correspondent  

Published: Dec 18,2020

In this picture taken on October 13, 2020, Rohingya refugee Julekha Begum, who got married through IMO, a video-call application to ‘Abdu Hamid’ (a pseudonym), a Rohingya hotel worker in Malaysia, cries at her makeshift shelter at Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhia.– AFP photo

One hundred and four British parliamentarians from across parties have asked the UK government to formally engage at the International Court of Justice to prevent genocidal violence against the minority ethnic Rohingya people by the Myanmar government and the military by extending formal support to the case filed by the Gambia.

‘Ending impunity is essential not only to ensure justice and uphold international law, but also to deter further acts of genocide by the military and government in Myanmar,’ said the bipartisan parliamentarians in a joint memorandum to British secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs Dominic Raab on Thursday. 

A United Nations fact-finding mission in 2019 made strong recommendations that the Myanmar military should be investigated and prosecuted in an international criminal tribunal for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

There is no sign of any changes by the Myanmar government that would create the necessary conditions for the safe return of Rohingya refugees, they said.

With Russia and China blocking a full referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court by the UN Security Council, joining the Gambia case at the ICJ ‘is the best available avenue for pursuing justice and ending impunity,’ they said.

‘It is essential that the British government throws its full weight behind this case,’ they said in the statement signed by Rushanara Ali MP and former British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt MP, who are co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Rights of the Rohingyas. 

Without justice, recognition of their rights and citizenship, the Rohingyas will remain in limbo as refugees in Bangladesh and across the region, they said.

The UK must show leadership and uphold human rights and international laws on the world stage by formally joining the International Court of Justice case, they said.

Failure to secure justice sends a dangerous message that ethnic cleansing and genocide are acceptable policy tools for repressive governments across the globe, they added.

Diana Abbott, Rupa Huq, Debbie Abrahams, Zarah Sultana, Dan Jarvis and Lord Adonis were among the 104 parliamentarians who made the statement.

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