New York, NY
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is very much encouraged by today’s overwhelming vote to adopt resolution A/HRC/39/L.22 on Myanmar by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva paving the way for accountability for atrocities committed against the Rohingya people.
“The resolution, which creates an international mechanism to help prepare case files for future criminal proceedings, signals an important step towards securing credible justice and accountability efforts in Myanmar,” said Homer Venters, MD, director of programs for PHR.
“This adoption gives hope to Rohingya survivors, who endured atrocities perpetrated by Myanmar’s military forces, that justice will be served through the proper collection, preservation, and analysis of evidence, in the pursuit of future independent criminal proceedings. The UN Secretary-General must now allocate resources so that this mechanism is operational as soon as possible.
“This resolution responds to the findings of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which last week announced that a competent court should determine the liability of senior Myanmar military officials for some of the gravest crimes under international law.
“We applaud those who voted in favor of this resolution and of setting up this much-needed mechanism. We now call on all countries to financially and politically support it. Those countries who do so will be remembered for being on the right side of history and for standing up for human rights.
“We also look to the UN Security Council to act upon the Fact-Finding Mission’s report and refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court so that those who directed and carried out violent acts against the Rohingya are finally brought to justice,” Venters added.
Read more about PHR’s Rohingya work.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.