An international people’s tribunal on Friday held Myanmar guilty of “genocide” against Rohingya Muslims and said the “systematic targeting of civilians” and other acts committed by the Myanmar Army must be qualified as war crimes. A seven-member bench of Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) headed by former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Daniel Feierstein, holding proceedings on alleged atrocities and state crimes against the Rohingya, Kachins and other ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, said the Myanmar army was committing the crime in the “context of official duties”. The purpose of the Rome-based PPT tribunal was to “expose” the alleged inhuman treatment to Rohingya and push to stop the crimes. Reading out the judgment, Feierstein said all these unpunished crimes had been and were currently committed by the Myanmar Army and by the regime in power in the State of Myanmar who seemed to be part of a plan. Among the recommendations announced was an immediate ceasefire package and de-militarisation with all armed groups in Rakhine state and the Myanmar military, including a de-militarised zone along the border in Northern region of Rakhine state.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 22, 2017 15:45 UTC