Myanmar human rights abuses

This item appears on page 19 of the May 2017 issue.

The United Nations released a report, compiled from interviews of more than 200 ethnic Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, accusing Myanmar armed forces of committing human rights abuses against the Rohingya. 

Rohingya refugees reported that Myanmar forces had regularly committed murder, rape and arson, including actions that specifically targeted children. Nearly half of those interviewed said a member of their own family had been killed.

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, the majority of whom live in northern Myanmar, a Buddhist country. Myanmar’s armed forces have been deployed in Rohingya areas since October 2016. In that time, more than 65,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.