People's Tribunal on Myanmar crimes
Permanent People's Tribunal (hereinafter “PPT”) has been working since June 24, 1979. Since its establishment, the PPT has held 42 sessions on numerous occasion of human rights violation. On November 24, 2016, a group of researchers, academics and activists in coalition with global Rohingya refugees drew the attention of PPT on Myanmar's State crime against Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, and subsequently, the Kachin group made their complaint in March 2017 to the PPT. Following which on March 6-7, 2017, the 'Official Opening Session: Permanent People's Tribunal on Myanmar's State Crimes against Rohingya, Kachin and other Groups' was hosted by the International State Crime Initiative, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London. The PPT on Myanmar consisted of a panel of jurists (hereinafter “Panel”) including Prof. Daniel Feierstein, former President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS); Dr. Helen Jarvis, former Chief of the Public Affairs Section of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), Mr. Denis Halliday, UN Assistant Secretary-General, and a team of prosecutors.
In the opening session, the Panel heard not only the testimony and expert opinion in relation to the State crimes but also the historical genesis of these crimes. The Panel then heard the historical testimony from the representatives of the Kachin National Organisations. In addition, the testimonies of Rohingya rape victims, and victims of recent attacks were presented as evidence before the PPT. In fact, the Panel heard oral testimony from witnesses and experts, as well as video and written documentation relating to State-sponsored massacres, extrajudicial executions, murders, disappearances, drownings, rape and sexual violence, destruction of homes and villages, the wholesale denial of civil rights, in the context of State terror.
After the full day hearing, the prosecution accused the Myanmar State, which includes departments of government, the military, the police, the border police, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Aung San Suu Kyi for committing crimes against Kachin and Rohingya ethnic groups. The prosecution submitted that the Myanmar is responsible for genocide, war crimes and crime against humanity, including the targeting of civilians, rape, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, arbitrary detention, forced labour, restriction of the provision of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people (IDPs). The prosecution will be submitting further testimony from Rohingya, Kachin and other groups as well as expert evidence from academics, medics, NGOs and activities in future occasions.
Taking into consideration all accounts of crime, the Panel was convinced and opined that the charges of serious crimes demand adjudication by the PPT and accordingly a full session will be convened within the next six months. The Panel urged the UN and other international agencies to move beyond descriptive reports of the situation, and concluded by calling upon the mass and social media to keep shining the spotlight on this humanitarian issue.
The writers are PhD Student, Middlesex University, UK and Barrister-at-Law respectively.
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