THE DIPLOMAT
By Istiaque Ahamed
June 21, 2023
A case in Argentina, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, seeks to hold Myanmar’s leaders accountable for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people.
On June 7, Rohingya witnesses testified before an Argentine court about the atrocities committed by the Tatmadaw, the Myanmar Armed Forces, against civilians during the so-called clearance operation in 2017. This is a small but significant step in the process of ensuring justice for the long-persecuted Rohingya people.
The Rohingya were arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship by the Myanmar government in 1982, and currently, they are the world’s largest group of stateless people. They have been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted and most discriminated against minority groups in the world. The Rohingya have been subjected to repeated bouts of ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar government – in 1978, 1991–1992, 2012, and 2015. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were forced to flee to Bangladesh in each of these instances.
The Rohingya were arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship by the Myanmar government in 1982, and currently, they are the world’s largest group of stateless people. They have been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted and most discriminated against minority groups in the world. The Rohingya have been subjected to repeated bouts of ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar government – in 1978, 1991–1992, 2012, and 2015. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were forced to flee to Bangladesh in each of these instances.
