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Myanmar: ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for junta chief

Published November 27, 2024last updated November 27, 2024

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to believe Min Aung Hlaing bore criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya Muslims.

https://p.dw.com/p/4nTfs
Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in military garb and wearing multiple medals and decorations
Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been accused of crimes against humanity by the ICC's chief prosecutorImage: Aung Shine Oo/AP/dpa/picture alliance

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday applied for an arrest warrant for Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

He said that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the junta leader was involved in crimes against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

A panel of three judges will now decide whether to issue the warrant.

Rohingya refugees behind barbed wire fence in relief camp in Bangladesh
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled a Myanmar military crackdown and live in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in southeastern BangladeshImage: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images

What else do we know about the ICC warrant request?

Karim Khan said that deportation and persecution were among the alleged crimes.

He said that they were committed by Myanmar's armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, supported by the national and border police and non-Rohingya citizens of Myanmar.

"This is the first application for an arrest warrant against a high-level Myanmar government official," the prosecutor said, vowing that "more will follow."

Over 730,000 Rohingya people fled to neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine State during the 2016-2017 period when the crimes were allegedly committed.

Myanmar is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, but 2018 and 2019 rulings found that the court had jurisdiction over alleged crimes that partially took place in Bangladesh, which is an ICC member.

The announcement comes several days after the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif for crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Rohingya refugee: 'Myanmar soldiers put us in front'

What is the situation in Myanmar?

While Myanmar has been grappling with insurgencies by militias representing various ethnic groups for decades, the conflict intensified in 2021 after the military overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Rebel groups have succeeded in taking control of large swathes of territory in offensives in the war.

Rights groups have reported renewed attacks on Rohingya since the outbreak of Myanmar's civil war in 2021.

Rohingya people traditionally inhabit the northwestern Rakhine State, which is also home to the largely Buddhist Rakhine people. The Arakan Army rebel group controls much of the state and is mostly made up of ethnic Rakhine.

The Rohingya have for decades faced widespread discrimination in Myanmar and most of them have been denied citizenship.

sdi/nm (Reuters, AP, AFP)