UN report documents systemic discrimination, rights violations
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein yesterday urged the new Myanmarese government to take comprehensive legal and policy measures to end the systemic discrimination and human rights violations against minorities, including the large Rohingya Muslim community in Rakhine State.
He was releasing a new report, requested by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2015 on the situation of “Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”, in Geneva highlighting the plight of the minorities and documenting a wide range of human rights violations and abuses.
The Rohingya are suffering from arbitrary deprivation of nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labour, sexual violence, and limitations to their political rights, among other violations, the report says.
Four years after the 2012 violence in Rakhine State, some 1,20,000 Rohingya and Kaman Muslims are still living in camps for internally displaced people. There has also been an alarming increase in incitement to hatred and religious intolerance by ultra-nationalist Buddhist organisations.
The report says the pattern of violence against Rohingyas may amount to crimes against humanity, said a UN press release.
“The new Government has inherited a situation where laws and policies are in place that are designed to deny fundamental rights to minorities, and where impunity for serious violations against such communities has encouraged further violence against them,” Zeid said.
The report states that in northern Rakhine State, “arbitrary arrest and detention of Rohingya remains widespread. Arrests are often carried out without grounds, formal processing or charges, until release is secured by payment of a bribe. For those formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.”
“Rohingya and Kaman populations face severe restrictions on their freedom of movement. Failure to comply with requirements can result in arrest and prosecution. Restrictions routinely lead to extortion and harassment by law enforcement and public officials,” the report adds.
These restrictions result in severe impact on access to livelihoods, healthcare, including emergency treatment, and education.
In townships surrounding Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, Muslims cannot freely access township hospitals, and emergency cases must be referred through an onerous process to Sittwe General Hospital.
Rakhine has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country, and non-citizens, including Rohingyas, are excluded from studying certain professions including medicine, economics and engineering.
In northern Rakhine State, a series of discriminatory policies and directives from local authorities targeting the Rohingya, known as “local orders”, have been in place for many years.
Rohingya children have not been issued birth certificates since the 1990s, further restricting their rights, and increasing their vulnerability to violations.
The report also outlines human rights violations and abuses against other minorities, including in the context of armed conflict.
These include deliberate targeting of and indiscriminate attacks against civilians; use of child soldiers; forced labour; sexual and gender-based violence; violations of housing, land and property rights; and restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.
The report recommends that all discriminatory local orders in Rakhine State be abolished, restrictive bureaucratic requirements for emergency medical referrals be removed, and a roadmap be established for lifting all freedom of movement restrictions.
It also calls for a comprehensive inquiry into the situation of minorities in Rakhine State and other areas.
“We stand ready to support the Government of Myanmar in ensuring a successful transition to a society based firmly on the rule of law and the protection of human rights for all,” Zeid added.
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