Rohingya 'happy' at ICC request for Myanmar junta chief warrant
For Rohingya refugees who fled brutal violence in Myanmar, the announcement Wednesday that the International Criminal Court prosecutor was seeking an arrest warrant for the junta chief sparked celebrations.
'We are pleased to hear that the ICC is pursuing an arrest warrant against Myanmar military commander Min Aung Hlaing,' said Sayod Alam, a Rohingya civil society leader living in the crowded camps of Cox’s Bazar. 'This is a victory for us.'
Approximately one million Rohingya, a stateless and persecuted Muslim minority, reside in the Bangladeshi camps after fleeing the violent 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar. The crackdown, which led to mass killings and displacement, is the subject of a United Nations investigation into potential genocide.
Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military during the 2017 atrocities, has publicly denied the existence of the Rohingya people, dismissing the term as "imaginary." The Rohingya have faced decades of systemic discrimination in Myanmar, where successive governments have labeled them as illegal immigrants despite their deep historical ties to the country.
On Wednesday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan formally requested the court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing for alleged crimes against humanity targeting the Rohingya.
This marks the first time the ICC has sought an arrest warrant for a high-ranking Myanmar official in connection with atrocities against the Rohingya people, a move hailed by refugees and human rights advocates as a step toward justice.
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