ICC opens probe into Myanmar's treatment of Rohingyas
The Hague, Sep 19 : The International Criminal Court has opened a preliminary examination into Myanmar's alleged crimes against its Rohingya Muslim minority, including killings, sexual violence and forced deportations.
The move was the first step towards a full investigation of Myanmar's military crackdown that killed thousands and forced over 700,000 of the stateless people flee the northern Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh.
The development came nearly two weeks after judges ruled that even though Myanmar did not sign up to the Hague-based ICC, the court still had jurisdiction over crimes against the Rohingyas because Bangladesh is an ICC member, the BBC reported.
In August, Myanmar rejected a UN report calling for military figures to be investigated for genocide. The Myanmar Army has previously cleared itself of wrongdoing in the Rohingya crisis.
The military launched a crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine last year after Rohingya militants carried out attacks on police posts. Hundreds of thousands have since fled to Bangladesh.
There have been widespread allegations of human rights abuses, including arbitrary killing, rape and burning of land over many years.
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Tuesday said she had decided "to carry out a full-fledged preliminary examination of the situation at hand".
Bensouda said the initial probe, which could lead to a formal investigation by the ICC, could focus on a number of alleged "coercive acts" that possibly led to the "forced displacement" of Rohingya Muslims.
She said that these might include "deprivation of fundamental rights, killing, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, destruction and looting".
The Hague-based court would also consider whether persecution or "other inhumane acts" played a part in the plight of the Rohingya.
The ICC announcement came as British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who was set to arrive in Myanmar on Wednesday for talks with the country's leaders, promised additional support for victims of sexual violence.
Hunt will visit Rakhine and will also meet Myanmar's State Counsellor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who recently said her government could in hindsight have handled the Rohingya situation differently.
Earlier on Tuesday, UN investigators presented a 444-page report detailing alleged violations committed by the Myanmar military in relation to violence against the Rohingya Muslim population.
"It is hard to fathom the level of brutality," the head of the UN's fact-finding mission on Myanmar, Marzuki Darusman, told the UN Human Rights Council, adding that the military showed a "total disregard for civilian life".
The report was criticised by Myanmar's Ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, who labelled it "one-sided" and "flawed".
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
