Hello, this is MAP Refugee News.
On August 25, 2017, a mass atrocity was carried out against the Rohingya population, and even eight years later, persecution of the Rohingya continues. As a result, the displacement of the Rohingya has become one of the largest refugee crises in Asia. It is our hope that sustained attention to the Rohingya issue will empower members of the Rohingya community to raise their voices at the center of efforts to address these challenges.
Below is the full text of the joint statement released by Human Rights Watch on the 8th anniversary of the tragedy.
8 Years On: Accountability Needed for Myanmar Atrocities Against Rohingya
August 25, 2025, marks eight years since the Myanmar military and authorities launched widespread atrocities against the Rohingya population in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Starting in August 2017, Myanmar security forces razed several hundred Rohingya villages and killed Rohingya women, men, and children throughout northern Rakhine State, forcing at least 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh. An Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar documented evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Since these atrocities, no one has been held accountable in Myanmar for the crimes committed against the Rohingya. In 2021, the military launched a coupthatoverthrew the democratically elected, civilian-led government. Since then, the military junta has committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, including targeted airstrikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, displacement camps, and places of worship.
The Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State continue to face grave risks and ongoing persecution. The junta’s movement restrictions and aid blockages have increased food shortages and health concerns. The Myanmar junta and Rohingya armed groups have unlawfully conscripted Rohingya in Bangladesh and Myanmar to fight in the ongoing conflict against the ethnic Rakhine armed group, the Arakan Army, which also uses forced recruitment.
The Arakan Army in recent years has committed serious abuses against the Rohingya, including extrajudicial executions, torture, forced labor, and large-scale arson. An estimated 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since mid-2024.
Over one million Rohingya refugees are facing increasingly dire conditions in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps, including abductions, sexual violence, and the impact of aid cuts on health care, education, and food.
Important accountability measures are taking place. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating atrocity crimes committed in Myanmar and Bangladesh, and provisional measures have been issued by the International Court of Justice as it hears a genocide case against Myanmar brought by the Gambia. Despite this, impunity remains.
In November 2024, the ICC prosecutor requested the issuance of an arrest warrant against Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing. Based on publicly available information, the request is still pending before the court’s judges.
We, the undersigned organizations, urge the United Nations Security Council to immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC, to ensure comprehensive accountability for crimes committed against all communities. UN member states should also exercise universal jurisdiction to initiate or support criminal prosecutions of those responsible for crimes under international law, including through national courts, as done in Argentina.
While the Myanmar military has committed the vast majority of human rights abuses since 2021, we call on all parties to the armed conflict in Myanmar to comply with international humanitarian law and engage with international justice mechanisms, including the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
In addition, we hope the UN General Assembly resolution to convene a High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar on September 30, 2025, at the UN Headquarters in New York will provide much-needed attention to this crisis. However, we are concerned about the lack of Rohingya representation at the conference and the need for a wider spectrum of voices, including Rohingya women, youth, and diverse Rohingya-led civil society from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the global diaspora.
Rohingya community members must be at the forefront of discussions about their future. As such, we urge the High-Level Conference to be more inclusive, survivor-centered, and focused on accountability and durable solutions, including restored citizenship and the full spectrum of economic, social, and political rights for all Myanmar citizens.
We urge all countries hosting Rohingya refugees to protect their rights, including allowing access to education and livelihoods and ensuring they are not threatened with forced returns to Myanmar.
We stand united in our call for an end to impunity, the right of the Rohingya to live in safety and dignity, full recognition of the Rohingya as citizens of Myanmar, and the inclusion of their voices in shaping the country’s future.
Signed:
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Al-Arakan Integrity Foundation
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Amnesty International
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Arakan Rohingya Committee
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Arakan Rohingya National Council
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Arakan Rohingya National Union
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Arakan Youth Peace Network
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Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network
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Assistance Association for Myanmar-based Independent Journalists
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Beyond Borders Malaysia
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British Rohingya Community UK
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Burma Campaign UK
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Burma Human Rights Network
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Burma War Crimes Investigation
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Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
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Chin Human Rights Organization
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Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons
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Cohesive Youth Generation
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Community Rebuilding Center
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Comrades of Rohingya Youths
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Counter Foto
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Education and Wisdom Development for Rohingya Women
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Education Garden for Rohingya
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European Rohingya Council
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Fortify Rights
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Free Rohingya Coalition
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Future of Rohingya
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Geutanyoe Malaysia
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Human Rights Foundation of Monland
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Human Rights Watch
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Kachin Human Rights Watch
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Kachin Women’s Association – Thailand
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Kaladan Press Network
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Karen Human Rights Group
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Karenni Human Rights Group
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Mayu Region Human Rights Documentation Center
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Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia
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Next Gen Rohingya Network
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Odhikar
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Refugees International
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Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
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Rohingya Advancement Committee
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Rohingya Association of Thailand
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Rohingya Human Rights Initiative
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Rohingya Inspiration Network
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Rohingya Peace Network of Thailand
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Rohingya Progressive Network
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Rohingya Right Advocacy Network
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Rohingya Student League
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Rohingya Student Network
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Rohingya Student Union
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Rohingya Women Association for Education and Development
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Rohingya Youth Empowerment Network
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RW Welfare Society
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Thailand Migration Reform
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Women’s Peace Network
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Youth Action for Myanmar
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Youth Congress Rohingya
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Youth Led Initiative
Human Rights Watch© Copyright, Human Rights Watch – 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
The original text can be accessed via the link below.