Press Release: August 25, 2019
August 25th is the Rohingya Genocide Day, a memorable day for us, for our children and generations to come. On this day in 2017, the world was appalled by the images of hundreds and thousands of innocent men, women and children fleeing mass atrocities in Arakan/Rakhine State. Families were massacred, hundreds of villages scorched, thousands of houses burned to the ground, women gang-raped, and babies thrown into the flames. More than 750,000 Rohingya survivors fled to Bangladesh, causing regional instability and a threat to international peace and security. Bangladesh has generously welcomed them on humanitarian grounds despite the economic constraints of this nation.
Today we remember the genocide that continues to be perpetrated against our innocent people. These crimes never happen overnight. The Rohingya genocide is the last step in the continuity of persecution and a deliberate campaign of terror, violence, killings and rape waged against our people that began decades ago.
Genocide is an act of state and demands a response from other states. Unfortunately, the genocide continues to happen due to the inactivity of the international community to prevent and punish genocide according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide (1948).
The UN Fact-finding Mission stated there was “no evidence that the Myanmar government is acting in good faith to resolve the crisis or facilitate the safe return of the refugees” from Bangladesh. Because they have already achieved their goal: the elimination of Rohingya people. The punishing of crimes must be accepted as a personal moral imperative. Without embracing the responsibility for the crimes, there is no compromise with the criminals and the enemies of humanity. The perpetrators must be brought to justice.
Today we remember and honour all those who were killed as heroes and martyrs. We will remember them forever. We also salute our female survivors of violence, for their courageous efforts to survive, even as refugee widows and orphans. The carnage is more than a tragedy. The extent of barbarity or methods employed in Arakan against our people surpassed everything else that took place in Burma/Myanmar. That will not and cannot be forgotten.
For more details, please contact:
Dr Habibullah +1-4438158609 or email at info@rohingya.org