U.N. Report Calls for Myanmar Generals to be Prosecuted for Genocide and War Crimes

Geneva: Top military leaders in Myanmar, including the commander-in-chief, must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine state and crimes against humanity in other areas, according to a UN report released on Monday. The report — based on hundreds of interviews, research, and analysis by a UN-mandated fact-finding mission — is the strongest condemnation by the UN of the Myanmar military’s actions following the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims last August.

It extended culpability for the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state to Myanmar’s civilian government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The civilian government, the report said, failed to speak out against unfolding events, spread “false narratives, oversaw the destruction of evidence in Rakhine state and blocked independent investigations”. “Through their acts and omissions, the civilian authorities contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes,” it said. The UN report called for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court of Justice, according to the BBC. (IANS)