United nations: Member states should take urgent action to end impunity for atrocities against the Rohingya people of Myanmar and reverse cuts in lifesaving assistance to Rohingya refugees as international courts move closer to delivering long-awaited justice, Fortify Rights said. The Rohingya have waited far too long for justice, recognition, and a safe return.
According to United News of Bangladesh, seventy Myanmar national and international human rights organizations, including Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Burmese Rohingya Organization U.K., and dozens of multi-ethnic Myanmar-based groups, issued a joint statement marking nine years since the Myanmar military launched its 2017 campaign of genocide. The campaign included mass killings, village burnings, mental harm, and forced displacement against the Rohingya.
The organizations called on the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), impose targeted financial sanctions, and establish a global arms embargo on the Myanmar military junta. They urged governments, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to press the Myanmar military to end attacks on civilians and release political prisoners. The international community was also urged to increase humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees.
In August 2017, Myanmar security forces killed thousands of Rohingya women, men, and children, razed hundreds of villages, and forced at least 700,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. In July 2018, Fortify Rights published a report with evidence that Myanmar authorities made extensive preparations for attacks against Rohingya civilians. The report identified 22 Myanmar Army and police officials with command responsibility for the attacks.
Important international justice proceedings are advancing. In January 2026, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held merits hearings in The Gambia v. Myanmar, a historic case alleging that Myanmar is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya. A judgment is expected later this year. In November 2024, the ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing.
The joint statement warned that abuses against the Rohingya are continuing in Myanmar, despite legally binding provisional measures issued by the ICJ. Fortify Rights documented how Myanmar military forces attacked Rohingya areas while continuing to restrict freedom of movement and access to aid.
Since mid-2024, an estimated 150,000 more Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, bringing the refugee population in Bangladesh to over 1.2 million. International aid cuts led by the U.S. government have worsened conditions for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, affecting access to food, health care, and education.
The organizations called on the international community to work closely with Bangladesh to increase funding for Rohingya refugees until conditions allow for their voluntary, safe, and dignified return to Myanmar. Countries hosting Rohingya should ensure protection mechanisms to safeguard Rohingya from violence and ensure their access to education and livelihoods.
Fortify Rights said ASEAN should take a stronger role in breaking the cycle of impunity. ASEAN member states should refuse political legitimacy to the Myanmar military junta, press for the release of political prisoners, support accountability mechanisms, and protect Rohingya refugees.
The U.S. should reverse actions that weaken international justice efforts. In February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions against the ICC. Fortify Rights Chief Executive Officer Matthew Smith and human rights advocate Akila Radhakrishnan subsequently filed a federal lawsuit challenging the sanctions. A U.S. federal court issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the restrictions while the litigation continues.