Safe Return of Rohingya to Myanmar Impossible Until Crimes End, Say Investigators

Photo : IIMM / Facebook

Arakan Now | 21 August 2021

More than one million Rohingya forcibly displaced to Bangladesh will not be able to return safely and sustainably to Myanmar until the violence against them ceases and those responsible are held accountable, warned Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).

Koumjian made the remarks ahead of his participation in the Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the Rohingya Situation in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, scheduled for 24–25 August. The dialogue, organized by the Government of Bangladesh, aims to explore strategies for the voluntary and safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees and will inform the upcoming High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar at the United Nations Headquarters in New York later this September.

The meeting coincides with the eight-year commemoration of Myanmar security forces’ brutal clearance operations in Rakhine State, which involved mass killings, sexual violence, and large-scale destruction of Rohingya villages. These atrocities forced roughly three-quarters of a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, where many remain to this day.

“No one has yet been held accountable for these horrific crimes. When crimes go unpunished, this fuels more violence,” Koumjian said.

He added that Rohingya refugees consistently express their desire to return home—but only when it is safe. “Ending the violence and atrocities against civilians from all communities in Rakhine is critical for the eventual safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of those displaced.”

In the past 18 months, escalating violence in Rakhine has driven approximately 150,000 more Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The IIMM has launched new investigations into reports of village burnings, killings, torture, and sexual violence against Rohingya, Rakhine, and other civilians.

The Mechanism is also investigating the destruction and appropriation of Rohingya land and property in 2017, particularly land seized by authorities for security bases. Koumjian noted that this loss has devastated the social and cultural fabric of Rohingya communities. “This investigation not only reveals the scale and impact of the clearance operations but will likely be central to future reparations in judicial proceedings.”

Evidence and analyses gathered by the Mechanism are being shared with authorities handling Rohingya-related cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and in Argentina, as well as responding to requests from the United Kingdom.

Notably, the ICC Prosecutor relied heavily on the Mechanism’s evidence when requesting an arrest warrant for Myanmar military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing in November 2024. Similarly, an Argentine court used the Mechanism’s evidence to issue arrest warrants earlier this year for Min Aung Hlaing and 24 others.