By Hafizur Rahman, August 27, 2025
Human rights groups have renewed their calls for justice as the Rohingya genocide reaches its eighth anniversary. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Fortify Rights and 57 other organizations urged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward accountability for crimes committed against Rohingya civilians in Myanmar.
“Eight years on from the start of the Myanmar military’s genocidal attacks against Rohingya, not a single person has been held criminally responsible. This is a deep stain on the world’s conscience,” said Patrick Phongsathorn, Senior Advocate at Fortify Rights.
He added:
“It’s not too late to address this injustice. The UN Security Council should immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court, and all UN member states must explore every avenue to pursue justice for the Rohingya.”
Background: Eight Years Since the Atrocities
August 25 marks Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, recalling the coordinated attacks launched by Myanmar’s military in 2017. Troops, alongside armed Rakhine civilians, carried out massacres, mass rapes, and arson that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in a matter of weeks — the fastest exodus since the Rwandan genocide.
International investigations, including reports by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission in 2019, concluded that Myanmar’s authorities had made “extensive and systematic preparations” for the attacks, proving genocidal intent. In 2022, the United States officially declared the atrocities a genocide.
Legal Pathways to Justice
The joint statement emphasized that a UN Security Council referral to the ICC is critical to ensure comprehensive accountability not only for crimes against Rohingya but for atrocities committed across Myanmar.
In addition, the groups urged UN member states to apply universal jurisdiction — a legal principle that allows domestic courts to prosecute perpetrators of international crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity, regardless of where they were committed.
Lack of Rohingya Representation
As global leaders prepare for the UN high-level conference on Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar on September 30, rights groups expressed concern about the absence of direct Rohingya voices.
The statement stressed the need for participation from Rohingya women, youth, and civil society representatives from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the diaspora, warning that continued exclusion weakens the credibility of international efforts.
Ongoing Persecution
The joint statement highlighted that Rohingya remain trapped between multiple armed actors:
- The Myanmar military junta continues to impose restrictions, aid blockages, and forced conscription.
- The Arakan Army (AA), now controlling much of Rakhine, has committed serious abuses including killings, torture, beheadings, and mass arson — most recently in Buthidaung (May 2024) and against Rohingya civilians fleeing toward Bangladesh (August 2024).
These realities underline the urgency for international accountability mechanisms, the groups said.
A Call to the World’s Conscience
“Violence, abuse, and persecution of the Rohingya by multiple actors have been tolerated for too long,” Phongsathorn warned.
“As governments again gather to discuss the Rohingya crisis, concrete steps toward justice must be taken — in close consultation with survivors.”
Eight years after the genocide, the Rohingya community continues to demand not only survival, but also justice, dignity, and the right to return home.
