January 6, 2018
The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission yesterday said the situation of Rohingyas carries the hallmark of an organised campaign of ethnic cleansing, which is a crime against humanity under the international law and must be stopped by all means.
Based on the testimonies received from a wide range of Rohingya victims, the Commission expressed its dismay at the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, who continue to suffer severe and institutionalised human rights violations at a mass scale.
It reminded the Myanmar authorities that no amount of dragging its feet would help them get away with the denial of fundamental rights of its Rohingya population.
Accordingly, the Commission called upon the government of Myanmar to take firm steps to immediately end the violence against Rohingya and bring the perpetrators of violence to justice; revise and replace all discriminatory policies and practices against its Rohingya population and ensure a sustainable and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees in safety, security, dignity and with ensured livelihood.
The Commission urged the Myanmar authority to ensure free and unfettered access to humanitarian aid agencies, accept UN and OIC fact finding missions for independent investigations into all alleged violations of international human rights law and implement the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Advisory Commission.
These comments were made at the end of a three-day fact-finding visit to Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar by the Commission.
During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to meet and discuss in detail with the Rohingya refugees the sorry state of human rights situation faced by them in Myanmar.
The horrifying tales of human rights violations narrated by the Rohingya refugees, included systematic and systemic discrimination in denying all sorts of their civil, political, economic and social rights in addition to widespread and indiscriminate violence resulting in torture, rape and extrajudicial killings that did not even spare women, children and elderly, according to a statement shared by the Foreign Ministry here.
A detailed report of the findings of IPHRC delegation visit with concrete recommendations will be presented to the 45th session of the OIC CFM (Council of Foreign Ministers) for its consideration.
Source: UNB
