45^th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar

Oral Statement Delivered by Ahmed Adam

On behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

Monday, 14 September 2020     

Madam President, FORUM-ASIA welcomes the report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), and the work to consolidate the operational and administrative processes of the mechanism. In particular, we commend the efforts to strengthen public outreach and engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

We remain concerned at the Myanmar government’s continued rejection of the mechanism. We call on Myanmar to allow the mechanism unrestricted access to Myanmar and allow victims and survivors to cooperate with the mechanism without fear of reprisals.

With the Myanmar government’s persistent failure to hold the military accountable, the international community has an obligation to ensure accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar. Sustainability and effective functioning of the mechanism is crucial to promote accountability. The Council and the international community should ensure long term sustainability of the mechanism by ensuring adequate resources for it to continue its mandate.

The mechanism is only a crucial first step towards criminal accountability for grave international crimes committed in Myanmar. We call on the Council and the international community to uphold their responsibility to ensure justice and accountability for the Myanmar military’s atrocities against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities and to follow up on the work of the mechanism by pursuing criminal accountability. The international community must take all appropriate measures to ensure accountability, including by referring Myanmar to the International Criminal Court or an independent tribunal, and the exercise of universal jurisdiction to hold the perpetrators accountable. Thank you.

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