The UN Fact Finding Mission published on Monday 27th August is damning towards the government of Burma, the Burmese military, the international community and surprising towards the UN itself. It acknowledges Burma’s inability to deal with the perpetrators of ‘genocidal intent’, the Burmese military (Tatmadaw), it acknowledges Burma’s cover-up Government and those...
August 25th will mark one year since the vitriolic military onslaught by the Burma military and forces on Rohingya villagers in Northern Arakan State (Rakhine) which led to unspeakable atrocities. The numbers involved in the violence are simply unbelievable. Conservative estimates of the 25,000 Rohingya killed, more than 20,000 Rohingya women raped, over 300 villages entirely burnt down and...
In February our team from Restless Beings was in Cox’s Bazar, collecting data and distributing aid to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh. I’ve been with the organization for almost a year and this was my first visit to the Rohingya in Bangladesh.
Wednesday 7th February, UK Parliament – Restless Beings have launched their research report at the UK Parliament titled ‘The Genocide of The Ignored Rohingya’. Detailing 96 testimonies , the report makes key recommendations to the UK and Bangladesh Governments as well as international aid agencies. The report calls on the British Government to press the United Nations Security Council to make a referral to the International Criminal Court for Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.
Restless Beings welcomes UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s remarks today – Tuesday 5th December 2017 regarding the on-going persecution of the Rohingya in Burma. In a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Zeid asked ‘can anyone rule out that elements of genocide may be present?’
It must be noted that when Zeid in September said he...
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most endemic and devastating human rights violations across the world today. Through the exertion of power and control in the intersection of various power structures, women and girls lives and their communities are being destroyed. Even the very term “violence against women and girls” is problematic in itself, as it is passive and does not focus on the perpetrators of the violence.
The deal announced between Burma and Bangladesh that will see the repatriation of the Rohingya to Burma is deeply flawed. The most obvious thing here is that without involving the UN in any shape, whether that's through agencies like IOM or UNHCR or paying heed to the UNGA or UNSC statements and Presidential Statement, Burma and Bangladesh have taken away the buffer that the...
As violence and fear remains king in the Rakhine (formerly ‘Arakan’) State of Burma; men, women and children continue to flee their homelands by the thousands. Since the further escalation of violence, 500 000 more have attempted to escape what is, according to various observers including the UN, a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
On the 25th of August 2017, the Burmese military launched a massive offensive against the Rohingya population of Rauthedaung, Bauthidaung and Maungdaw townships of Rakhine State. To date (September 3rd) an estimated 4,000 men, women and children have been killed. More than 65,000 Rohingya have crossed the border into Bangladesh as refugees with a further 20,000 currently stuck in No Mans...