RT.com
25 Jan 2023, 04:13 GMT+10
The Fortify Rights NGO is leading an effort to have the military tried for alleged war crimes under universal jurisdiction
A total of 16 survivors and witnesses of ethnic violence in Myanmar have sued several senior figures in the country's military, alleging crimes against humanity including genocide.
They filed the complaint on Friday in partnership with NGO Fortify Rights in German federal court, citing the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows mass atrocities in one country to be prosecuted anywhere.
"The complaint provides new evidence proving that the Myanmar military systematically killed, raped, tortured, imprisoned, disappeared, persecuted, and committed other acts that amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes," Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith told reporters on Tuesday.
The group claims to have "substantial evidence" that senior military officials knew about the atrocities their subordinates were committing but allowed them to continue. The complaint urges Germany to open a "structural investigation" into the situation in Myanmar, which could lead to further allegations.
The plaintiffs are civilian members of ethnic groups including the Rohingya, Karen, Bamar, Chin, and Arakanese people. Some are survivors of the initial crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in 2017, while others suffered under the alleged atrocities committed after the military coup in 2021.
"This will be the first universal jurisdiction complaint which will talk about crimes against many ethnic groups and that is what makes this a really unique effort towards justice and accountability," Fortify Rights' Pavani Nagaraja Bhat told The Guardian, accusing the Myanmar military of "violating rights across the country."
Fortify Rights' case joins a number of legal proceedings against the junta, including universal jurisdiction cases filed in Türkiye and Argentina, a genocide case filed in the International Court of Justice, and a case in the International Criminal Court.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, thousands of people have been killed or arrested since Myanmar's military seized power in 2021 and jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose reelection it claimed was fraudulent. While the coup leader promised to repatriate the Rohingya refugees who had fled to Bangladesh when their villages were destroyed in 2017, who number more than 700,000 according to the UN, international observers have argued it is not yet safe for them to return.
Myanmar's military has long denied committing atrocities, insisting with regard to the Rohingya situation that it was merely responding to "terrorist" attacks on police posts.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Bangladesh Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Bangladesh Sun.
More InformationGuwahati (Assam) [India], November 28 (ANI): India skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for his record-breaking ton against the ...
Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 28 (ANI): Glenn Maxwell recreated his World Cup knock against Afghanistan as he single-handedly guided Australia ...
Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 28 (ANI): Ruturaj Gaikwad's fireworks in the death overs helped India set Australia a daunting target ...
Sylhet [Bangladesh], November 28 (ANI): Bangladesh scored 310 runs on the first day of first Test against New Zealand here ...
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 28 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir Police have filed a case under the Unlawful ...
New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): India pacer Mukesh Kumar made a request to be released from the squad for ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed in positive territory despite a volatile day Tuesday. Spending much time in ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: On November 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled three more brands of whole and pre-cut ...
DETROIT, Michigan: US electric vehicle (EV) sales are expected to reach a record of 9% of all passenger vehicles this ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed marginally lower as traders returned to their desks Monday following the Thanksgiving ...
OMAHA, Nebraska: On November 21, Warren Buffett announced a donation of Berkshire Hathaway stocks worth some US$866 million to four ...
HONOLULU, Hawaii: The islands' leaders are working on streamlining the travel process for Japanese tourists, making it more convenient for ...