The United States Department of State has declared the Rohingya victims of Myanmar’s military as genocide during a formal announcement made by Secretary Antony Blinken on Monday.
As per Voice of America, the Rohingya were a Muslim Minority in Myanmar that the dominant Buddhist government’s military has executed. Blinken recounted in his speech the widespread and systematic inhuman treatment the Rohingya victims experienced.
“Beyond the Holocaust (of Nazi-era Germany), the United States has concluded the genocide was committed seven times. Today marks the eighth as I’ve determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya,” Blinken said.
Accordingly, the Myanmar military launched a campaign against the Rohingya in August 2017. This pushed 700,000 Rohingya to flee to nearby Bangladesh. The campaign was meant to obliterate the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, which resulted to the burning of homes, mass rape, and murder.
The U.S. government, as well as, other countries, released a series of sanctions against Myanmar for the maltreatment of the Rohingya. The American government also released sanctions against Myanmar for the nationwide inhumane action of the military since the coup began in February 2021.
Blinken then stressed in his speech that the United States is continuously working to bring Myanmar back to the path of democracy. He underscored that the day will come when the people who inflicted such atrocities will be held liable for their actions.
“As we lay the foundation for future accountability, we’re also working to stop the military’s ongoing atrocities and support the people of Burma as they strive to put the country back on the path to democracy,” Blinken said.
U.S. Campaign for Burma Board Member Yasmin Ullah commended the recognition of Myanmar’s genocide of the Rohingya minority. Ullah, however, pointed out that such recognition requires an appropriate and tangible set of actions to hold the Burmese military accountable for all their crimes.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley echoed Ullah’s sentiments. Merkley applauded President Joe Biden’s Administration for finally recognizing the crimes committed against the Rohingya minority as genocide.
“While this determination is long overdue, it is nevertheless a powerful and critically important step in holding this brutal regime to account. Such processes must always be carried out objectively, consistently, and in a way that transcends geopolitical considerations,” Merkley said in a statement.
Last year, the Biden Administration has also acknowledged two accounts of genocide inflicted by various governments. The first came in January when the United States Department of State decided that the Chinese Communist Party’s actions on the Uyghur minority were indeed genocide. This was based on numerous pieces of evidence gathered on it. The decision has led to the government boycotting the 2022 Beijing Olympics held early this year.
The Biden Administration followed-through in April with the acknowledgment of the murder of 1.5 Armenian Christians by the Turkish government as genocide. The announcement coincided with the 106th anniversary of the tragic event. The announcement was applauded by the International Christian Concern. ICC said Biden was the only president since former President Ronald Reagan who has acknowledged the massacre.
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