Bangladesh must respond to ICC letter on Rohingya

Bangladesh must respond to the International Criminal Court (ICC) along with all the information it has on circumstances surrounding the presence of the Rohingya on its territory, said 41 rights activists and academics yesterday.

 “It is our considered view that Bangladesh, as a state party to the Rome Statute, and a country which has its own history of having suffered war crimes and bringing those responsible to justice, must respond to this request,” they said in a statement yesterday.

The government needs to do so as a matter of principle because as a state party to the ICC, Bangladesh has committed itself to promoting accountability for mass atrocities, it said.

ICC pre-trial chamber on May 7 invited Bangladesh to submit by June 11 written observations on whether the court can exercise jurisdiction over forced deportation of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The letter comes after ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked the court to rule on whether it has jurisdiction over the matter, a possible crime against humanity.

Some 700,000 members of the Rohingya community fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine state of Myanmar since late August last year. Rights groups said thousands were killed, women raped, houses burnt and then bulldozed. UN called it ethnic cleansing, having hallmarks of genocide.

Bangladesh has yet to respond to the ICC letter.

 “Bangladesh has been compelled to address the humanitarian consequences of the deportation, and as such has an interest in providing information to ICC,” the activists and academics said.

Bangladesh's response will be an important first step in ensuring justice for the victims of the crimes against humanity that have occurred in Myanmar, they said.

Those who endorsed the statement include Supreme Court lawyer Dr Shahdeen Malik, Drik Founder Dr Shahidul Alam, Dhaka University law professors Dr Shahnaz Huda, Dr Sumaiya Khair, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury and Dr Asif Nazrul, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanum, rights activists Dr Maleka Begum and Dr Hameeda Hossain, Shujan Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, UBINIG Executive Director Farida Akhter, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, Barrister Manzoor Hasan and Illinois State University Professor Dr Ali Riaz.