DHAKA, Bangladesh
The Bangladesh government
described the recent arrest warrant for Myanmar’s army chief Min Aung Hlaing as
a "significant" step toward securing justice for the atrocities
committed against persecuted minorities in the Southeast Asian nation.
Myanmar’s army chief Min Aung Hlaing
Khalilur Rahman, the high
representative of Rohingya affairs of the Bangladesh interim government, told
Anadolu that this arrest warrant “is a step towards ensuring justice and
accountability.”
On Wednesday, the chief
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed a request for an
arrest warrant for Myanmar’s military leader over crimes committed against the
Rohingya minority.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan
alleged that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is “criminally responsible for
crimes against humanity,” including deportation and persecution of the
Rohingya, carried out in Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh from Aug. 25 to
Dec.31, 2017.
The ICC estimates that the
violence led to the forcible displacement of over one million Rohingya, many of
whom sought refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.
Shamsud Douza, the additional
refugee, relief, and repatriation commissioner for the Bangladesh government,
said the arrest warrant has brought the “Rohingya crisis back into the global
spotlight.”
Aung, the leader of Myanmar’s
powerful military, known as the Tatmadaw, has served as the country’s military
ruler since seizing power in 2021.
The ICC investigation
initiated in 2019 implicates Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, along with
the national police, border guard police, and non-Rohingya civilians in the
alleged crimes, Khan said in a statement on Wednesday.
Myanmar has consistently
denied accusations of genocide, claiming its military crackdown targeted
Rohingya rebels involved in attacks.
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