UN rights chief urges states to refer Burma situation to ICC
Turk also calls for halt to transfers of arms, ammunition, jet fuel and dual-use items that risk facilitating rights violations
GENEVA (AA) – The UN human rights chief on Monday urged member states to refer the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC), warning that years of international efforts have failed to resolve the country’s worsening human rights crisis.
Burma’s military junta officially calls the country Myanmar, a name adopted by the former military government in 1989.
Speaking at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk also called on states to end transfers of arms, ammunition, jet fuel and dual-use items to Burma “where there is a clear risk they could facilitate violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”
Credible sources verified the killing of more than 1,200 civilians during the reporting period, while open sources indicate the actual figure could exceed 3,000, Turk said. Airstrikes remained the leading cause of civilian deaths.
He also highlighted the “catastrophic” situation of Rohingya in Rakhine, saying they face “widespread and systematic” violations and abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, enforced disappearance, forced labor and recruitment by both the military and the Arakan Army.
Turk warned against efforts to normalize relations with Burma’s military without evidence that it is complying with its obligations under international law.
“We need more than so-called ‘calibrated engagement’; we need human-rights-based engagement,” he said, adding that any engagement should be conditioned on ending violence, allowing humanitarian access and releasing those arbitrarily detained.
Turk also warned there could be “no question” of returning Rohingya and other refugees amid current insecurity, saying such returns would constitute a “flagrant breach” of the non-refoulement principle.
“And I call for all States to support the people of Burma politically and financially, in their demands for democracy, justice, and human rights,” he concluded.
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