UN report details continued abuses against Rohingyas
Geneva, Sep 18 : A UN fact-finding mission published on Tuesday the most extensive report till date on the continued persecution of the Muslim minority Rohingyas in Myanmar since 2011 in the states of Kachin, Shan and Rakhine.
The 44-page report was based on more than 800 interviews of survivors and videos, photos as well as satellite images that detailed the atrocities and rights abuses against the community, Efe news reported.
"During their operations the Tatmadaw (military) has systematically targeted civilians, including women and children, committed sexual violence, voiced and promoted exclusionary and discriminatory rhetoric against minorities as well as established a climate of impunity for its soldiers," said the chair of the mission, Marzuki Darusman.
The report said that Myanmar's policy of destruction in Rakhine might have destroyed evidence that could have helped in future investigations of the crimes, including those of genocide.
The report examined various episodes of violence over the years, especially the one that erupted in August 2017 in Rakhine that led to the exodus of more than 800,000 people, currently living in neighbouring Bangladesh in overcrowded refugee camps.
An earlier and more concise version of the report on August 27 had concluded that there were elements of intentional genocide by the country's armed forces in the 2017 offensive, that was launched following a series of attacks on government posts by Rohingya rebels.
"The crimes themselves and the manner in which they were perpetrated, were found to be similar in nature, gravity and scope to those that have allowed for genocidal intent to be established in other contexts," said Radhika Coomaraswamy, another member of the mission.
The mission considered that by conservative estimates at least 10,000 people were killed during the 2017 Army offensive, globally condemned as "ethnic cleansing".
"These policies and practices violate Myanmar's obligations under international law and amount to criminal conduct. They are also unwarranted. Military necessity would never justify killing indiscriminately, gangraping women, assaulting children and burning entire villages," the report stated.
The experts blamed the military leaders for the crimes committed during the military campaign and also condemned Myanmar's de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to use her position to prevent the atrocities in Rakhine state.
The mission also gathered proof of war crimes and crimes against humanity in all the three states.
The experts asked the UN Security Council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court or create an ad hoc international court to try these crimes.
It also recommended individual sanctions against those identified as allegedly responsible for these crimes and an arms embargo on the country.
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Four years after Hathras gangrape: elections distant echo in forgotten Bhool Garhi
Hathras (UP) (PTI): Four years after the gangrape and death of a Dalit teen jolted the nation’s consciousness, Bhool Garhi is a village forgotten, mired in neglect and the struggle for basics, the elections only a distant echo in the uneasy quiet of everyday life.
The 2020 incident of the 19-year-old woman who was brutally assaulted, allegedly by upper caste men in the village, and died two weeks later in a Delhi hospital has further polarised the village between the Thakurs and the SC community.
Cut off with no proper road access, leaving people to walk the last mile, Bhool Garhi - the name ironically translating to forgotten citadel -- is a small village, its primary occupants being 90 families of upper caste Thakurs and four Dalit families.
The four Dalit families, who mostly work in upper caste homes in the village, continue to do so. They live in hutments in the Dalit 'basti' on the outskirts of the village.
That three of the four upper caste men who were accused of the crime have returned home has added to the disquietude in the village.
The victim’s family do not speak much and a CCTV continues to monitor their movements.
But there is a lot they have in common.
For the residents of Bhool Garhi, the tragedy four years ago casts a long shadow but life has returned to the urgent concerns of life - rising prices, unemployment and the struggle for survival.
The death of the young woman was followed by a rushed cremation by the police without the consent of her family, further fuelling public outcry and demands for justice.
But those sounds of protest have receded into the distance. The brutal incident, which once brought national attention to the village, now lingers in the background.
"We were promised a home but just received one instalment of it and sanitation issues are very serious here as you can see,” said a woman in the Dalit basti outside her home marooned in gutter water.
Her woes don’t end there.
“My son is 30 years old, but without a job. I want him and his family to have a proper roof over their heads, away from this swamp," she said on the condition anonymity.
The Thakur community's area is better but only marginally.
"We have better infrastructure, but sanitation remains a problem. The roads are broken but these can be sorted out," added Uma Shankar, a local Thakur resident.
With elections - Bhool Garhi falls in the Hathras parliamentary constituency - just days away on May 7, there are but faint hopes that things will improve. The voices of the marginalized resonate with aspirations for a better tomorrow but the wheels of progress turn slowly.
Their political choices are as polarised as the society they live in. Most villagers in the Thakur area said they would vote for the BJP, primarily driven by Hindutva and construction of the Ram Mandir, while those from the Dalit basti remain loyal to the BSP.
Uttar Pradesh Revenue Minister Anoop Balmiki is the BJP’s contestant from the area. His principal opponent is Samajwadi Party’s Jasveer Valmiki. Rajveer Diler, the sitting MP, passed away recently following a heart attack.
The BJP has been winning in Hathras since 1991, except in 2009. Dalits and Thakurs form a largest part of the constituency followed by Brahmins.
Shankar said he would vote again for the BJP. The 2020 tragedy is in the past and they need to look ahead, he said, torn between wanting a leader who can bring jobs and control inflation and one that pushes the faith agenda.
"BJP is promoting Hindutva and built the Ram mandir. ‘Aastha bahut zaroori hai humare liye (faith is very important for us)," Shankar, who owns land right outside the village, said.
As the political atmosphere heats up with impending elections, it is evident that the wounds of the past are secondary to the pressing realities of the present.
The return of the accused men has led to alarm but survival takes precedence over retribution, even amongst the Dalits.
"What can we do? They are back, and we have to live with it. Our lives have always been hard. We focus on getting by each day," said another Dalit basti resident.
Many in the Thakur community believe the accused are innocent and it was all a big “misunderstanding and mismanagement by the police”.
There were many promises from politicians. And they too have faded into the background noise of rural life.
"We were in the news for a while, and then everyone moved on," said a relative of the Dalit teen.
“At the time, many politicians, including BJP leaders, came to meet us at that time but now we are a forgotten topic. No one cares.”
The family, he said, received compensation from the government and is using that only to sustain themselves.
"Yes, our roads need repair, and our children need jobs but there is also a deep-seated distrust among communities here. Healing those wounds will take time," admitted the girl’s relative.
While the villagers stumble along in their everyday lives, the politicians too are cautiously finding their way around issues.
“The 2020 incident shook the nation. We will bring the focus back to the women’s safety,” said SP’s Valmiki.
"The agenda of the BJP is solely and exclusively development. The works of development carried out by Modi ji's government in the last 10 years are certainly our focus on development," BJP's Balmiki said.
Three of the accused in the 2020 case were acquitted due to lack of evidence, while one juvenile was held guilty and sentenced to three years in a reform home.
The young woman was allegedly dragged away by her dupatta around her neck, injuring her spinal cord. The violence left her paralysed with a severe spinal cord injury, resulting in her death.
