ZCZC
BSS-35
ROHINGYA-ICC-DU-SEMINAR
Govt urged to submit documents on Rohingya persecution to ICC
DHAKA, June 4, 2018 (BSS) – Legal experts today urged the government to
submit documents and written observations about Myanmar’s persecution on
Rohingyas before the International Criminal Court (ICC) within June 11 next.
They came up with the call at a discussion titled ‘Accountability: ICC and
the Rohingya Crisis’ at Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of Dhaka
University.
Centre for Genocide Studies of DU, Centre for Peace and Justice of BRAC
University and ActionAid Bangladesh jointly arranged the discussion to
sensitise the Bangladesh government to put pressure on Myanmar over Rohingya
issue.
Justice Refaat Ahmed, Australia’s former Attorney General and Hornsby Shire
Mayor Phillip Maxwell Ruddock, former Election Commissioner Brigadier General
(retd) Sakhawat Hussein, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir
and Executive Director of the Centre for Peace and Justice and Chair of
ActionAid Bangladesh Manzoor Alam, among others, addressed the discussion
with Director of Centre for Genocide Studies Prof Imtiaz Ahmed in the chair.
Justice Refaat Ahmed said the information and evidences the ICC asked for
should be submitted before it so that the court can conduct investigation as
per the Rome Statute.
He said many people were killed in Myanmar and more than seven million
people were forced to leave the country while half of them were children.
“ICC may exercise its judicial powers by taking the crimes against humanity
into consideration as there are sufficient evidences of the crimes.
Bangladesh can play its role as a state party,” Justice Refaat added.
Phillip Maxwell Ruddock stressed the need for imposing sanctions on Myanmar
again to resolve the long-pending issue.
“We have enough information and evidence to say this as genocide. So, action
must be taken against Myanmar. Everyone, including the UN Security Council,
must work together. Security Council can intervene directly in this regard,”
Ruddock said.
On May 7, the ICC requested Bangladesh government to submit written
observations on the issue of jurisdiction by June 11 this year and set June
20 for hearing.
Different aspects of ethnic cleansing on Rohingya were discussed at the
programme.
Earlier, an application, signed by 400 Rohingya women, was submitted to ICC
at The Hague in the Netherlands.
The experts think that the ICC is the only hope for getting justice over
Rohingya persecution.
BSS/Asg/MMN/MRI/2100 hrs