Myanmar has subjected Rohingya Muslims to long-term discrimination and persecution that amounts to "dehumanizing apartheid," Amnesty International said Tuesday in a report that raises questions about what those who have fled a violent military crackdown would face if they returned home. Since late August, more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh, seeking safety from what the military described as "clearance operations." Amnesty International compiled two years' worth of interviews and evidence in its report, detailing how Rohingya lived within Myanmar, where they were subjected to a "vicious system of state-sponsored, institutionalized discrimination that amounts to apartheid," meeting the international legal definition of a crime against humanity. That October, a Rohingya militant group killed several officers in attacks on police posts, and the military retaliation sent 87,000 Rohingya fleeing. The international community, and in particular donors, must ensure that their engagement does not make them complicit in these violations."

Source: CBC News November 21, 2017 06:09 UTC