The International Criminal Court has sought views of the Rohingya victims on the crimes committed against them in Myanmar. 

“As per the ICC’s legal framework, the victims of the alleged crimes committed against the Rohingya population in Myanmar have the right to submit ‘representations’, i.e. to provide their views, concerns and expectations, to the ICC judges who are considering the prosecutor’s request,” the ICC said in a statement.

On July 4, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, requested authorisation from Pre-Trial Chamber III of the court to initiate an investigation into alleged crimes against the civilian Rohingya population in Myanmar since at least October 9, 2016, it said.

This is not an application process for participation in court proceedings or for obtaining reparations before the ICC, but is limited to the submission of victims’ views, concerns and expectations on the prosecutor’s request to open an investigation, said ICC in the statement on Friday.

The Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) of the Registry at the ICC has prepared a template victim representation form, which is available on the ICC website.

Guidelines on how to fill in the form are available in English, Burmese, Bangla and Rohingya (audio) to help victims understand and fill in the representation form. Victims can also submit their views in other formats, including in video or audio.

“It is important that the representations, irrespective of their format, contain the information requested in the template representation form,” the statement said.

The deadline for submitting victim representation forms to the ICC is October 28, and the process of submitting representations is voluntary and free of charge, the statement said.

Representations made under article 15 (3) of the Rome Statute do not grant victims participatory status in potential future judicial proceedings, it said.

Victims interested in applying to participate in judicial proceedings before the ICC or for reparations in this situation will have to fill in a separate application form which will be made available in the future if needed be, it added.

On September 6 last year, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC decided that the court may exercise jurisdiction over the alleged deportation of the Rohingya people from Myanmar occurred on the territory of Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Myanmar, which is not a state party to the Rome Statute, earlier rejected that ICC has jurisdiction over the matter. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bendouda argued that it can go for investigation as Bangladesh, where the Rohingya were allegedly forcibly deported, is a state party to the Rome Statute, the statement added.