The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced his pursuit of an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s Acting President and military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, for alleged crimes against humanity targeting the Rohingya population.
This marks the ICC’s first application for an arrest warrant against a senior Myanmar official accused of orchestrating the persecution and deportation of the predominantly Muslim ethnic group between 2016 and 2017. Khan emphasized that this action is a testament to upholding justice for the Rohingya people, who have long been subjected to atrocities.
Khan’s office began investigating crimes committed in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and the subsequent forced deportation of Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2019. The prosecutor stated there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Min Aung Hlaing is criminally responsible for deportation and persecution, with support from Myanmar’s Tatmadaw military forces, national police, border guards, and local civilians.
A panel of ICC judges will now review the evidence presented in this case. Additionally, Khan confirmed plans to file applications targeting other senior Myanmar leaders involved in the abuses.
Myanmar, though not a signatory to the ICC’s founding Rome Statute, falls under ICC jurisdiction due to the crimes extending into Bangladesh, an ICC member state. The ICC operates under provisions allowing prosecution if any element of an offense occurs on the territory of a member state, regardless of the accused’s nationality.
The military-led campaign against the Rohingya also faces genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a case brought by The Gambia. UN reports and rights groups estimate that 10,000 Rohingya were killed during the violence, which forced over a million to flee to Bangladesh.
Khan, who recently visited the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, commended the courage of Rohingya women advocating for justice. “The Rohingya have not been forgotten,” he asserted, highlighting the ICC’s commitment to accountability.