YANGON: Amnesty International is calling for a “strong resolution” over Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority, as the country enters the spotlight of a rare UN Human Rights Council special session later Tuesday.
Ahead of the council’s session in Geneva, Amnesty urged members to keep the pressure on and said authorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar are committing crimes against humanity that are continuing on a “daily basis”.
“The Council must now step up and pass a strong resolution that sends a clear message to Myanmar’s government and military that their abhorrent treatment of the Rohingya must end immediately, and that perpetrators will not enjoy impunity,” said James Gomez, Amnesty’s regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Rights groups say people are still fleeing Myanmar, joining refugees who give consistent accounts of murder and arson.
The rights council rarely holds special sessions, which can only be convened at the request of at least a third of its 47 member states, or 16 countries.
The session comes amid mounting scrutiny from UN member states. In March the rights council approved a mission to Myanmar to investigate alleged crimes by security forces, particularly in Rakhine.
Myanmar refused to cooperate and blocked access to the team of investigators, who have begun their work outside the country.
