United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has urged the Myanmar government to take action to address the escalating prejudice and incitement against Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities.
Addressing the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, she stressed that decisive measures are needed to ensure genuine accountability and civilian oversight of the military, adding that legal and policy reforms are needed, including with regard to citizenship.
“Discrimination and exclusion against religious and ethnic minorities have characterized many of the laws and policies of Myanmar for over half a century,” Bachelet said in a statement.
“They have contributed to and perpetuated violence, extreme poverty, exploitation and dispossession. Notably, the 1982 Citizenship Law rendered stateless a significant proportion of the Rohingya and other Muslims, compounding their vulnerability.”
Bachelet said the root causes of these violations are complex, multidimensional and longstanding ones.
“Unpacking and untangling this multifaceted human rights challenge require understanding the historical, political, economic and social dimensions as a prerequisite to identifying solutions.”
Bachelet said several international accountability mechanisms have commenced proceedings in relation to the alleged international crimes committed in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, she reiterated readiness of her office and UN system to assist the government of Myanmar to address these root causes and implement the report recommendations.
Source: Al-Manar Website Correspondent in UN Office Geneva Ahmad Hajj Ali
