US group calls for tribunal against Rohingya attackers

WASHINGTON: A human rights law group contracted by the US State Department to investigate atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar called for the urgent establishment of a criminal tribunal to bring those responsible to justice.

There were reasonable grounds to believe the Myanmar military committed crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes against the minority group, the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) said in a report on Monday.

The report was based on more than 1,000 interviews with Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh.

The Washington-based group’s use of the term genocide adds pressure on US President Donald Trump’s administration to harden its own characterisation of the treatment of the Rohingya, something that could oblige the US government to take stronger punitive measures against Myanmar.

“The international community is obliged to protect populations subjected to atrocity crimes by their own governments and ensure justice and accountability for such crimes,” the report said.

It called for the urgent establishment of an “accountability mechanism”, or referral to the International Criminal Court.

It noted that in similar circumstances in the past, different mechanisms had been used, including the ICC, ad hoc tribunals established by the United Nations, and hybrid or domestic tribunals established with the support of intergovernmental organisations.

The military in Myanmar has denied past accusations that it had committed genocide against the Rohingya and says its actions were part of a fight against terrorism. —