Amnesty International Urges UNSC To End Inaction On Myanmar's Rohinya Crisis

Amnesty International urges UNSC to end inaction on Myanmar's Rohinya crisis

Amnesty International, a leading international organization focused on human rights, has urged the U.N. Security Council, which meets Tuesday on the situation of Rohingya Muslims

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Dec, 2017 ) :Amnesty International, a leading international organization focused on human rights, has urged the U.N. Security Council, which meets Tuesday on the situation of Rohingya Muslims, to end the three and a half months of deadlock in the face of ongoing crimes against humanity targeting the minority community in the country's Rakhine State.

The 15-member Council's debate follows a resolution adopted by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council condemning the ongoing violations against Rohinya Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the country.

The resolution was accompanied by a warning from the High Commissioner for Human Rights that recent military operations in western Rakhine state could include elements of genocide. The United Nations Security Council woefully inadequate response to this crisis has been disgraceful," Sherine Tadros, Head of Amnesty International's UN office in New York said.

"Since late August, more than 620,000 Rohingya people have fled unspeakable atrocities, yet the Council has issued only a single statement this fails to match the gravity of the situation on the ground," Ms.

Tadros added, Japan's Security Council presidency (for the month of December) faces a moment of truth: will its legacy include sitting idly by while hundreds of thousands of Rohingya faced ethnic cleansing on top of a longstanding apartheid regime in Myanmar's Rakhine State? The Security Council must build on last week's Human Rights Council resolution by imposing an arms embargo, and targeted sanctions on Myanmar's military leadership.

"Myanmar's authorities must immediately allow unfettered access to the UN Fact-Finding Mission, humanitarian aid and independent human rights monitors into the country, and into northern Rakhine State in particular.

This is crucial to expose the truth, lay the groundwork for accountability for atrocities against Rohingya women, men and children, and ensure the voluntary, safe and dignified return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees." Amnesty International also called on the UN Security Council to take concrete steps to ensure accountability for crimes against humanity in Myanmar, following a call by the UN Special Rapporteur on Sexual Violence and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva last week.