Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Aug 25, 2026 (BSS) – Fortify Rights today urged UN member states to intensify efforts to end impunity for atrocities against the Rohingyas and reverse humanitarian aid cuts as international judicial proceedings move closer towards delivering long-awaited justice.

“The Rohingya have waited far too long for justice, recognition, and a safe return,” the international human rights organisation said in a statement marking nine years since Myanmar's 2017 military crackdown.

Seventy Myanmar national and international human rights organisations, including Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, issued a joint statement calling for stronger international action.

“For Rohingya survivors, international justice is not an abstraction. It is one of the few remaining pathways to accountability after decades of persecution and repeated failures by states to protect them,” said Fortify Rights Human Rights Specialist Lynn Htet.

“This year could mark a turning point for justice for the Rohingya. UN member states should make sure it does,” Htet added.

The organisations called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), impose targeted financial sanctions and establish a global arms embargo on the Myanmar military junta.
They also urged governments, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to press the Myanmar military to end attacks against civilians and release political prisoners.

At the same time, they called upon the international community to urgently increase humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees.

“This should be a moment when governments are intensifying their support for the Rohingya, not retreating from them,” Htet said.

In August 2017, Myanmar security forces launched a sweeping crackdown that forced at least 700,000 Rohingyas to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh amid killings and the destruction of hundreds of villages, according to the statement.

The organisations said no Myanmar official has yet been held accountable for the 2017 atrocities, although several international accountability processes are advancing.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held merits hearings in January this year in The Gambia v. Myanmar, a case alleging Myanmar's responsibility for genocide against the Rohingyas. A judgment is expected later this year, according to Fortify Rights.

The statement also referred to the ICC prosecutor's November 2024 request for an arrest warrant against Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing over alleged crimes against humanity involving the deportation and persecution of Rohingyas.

A separate universal jurisdiction case in Argentina has also resulted in arrest warrants for Myanmar military officials, including Min Aung Hlaing, it said.

“The world has spent nine years telling Rohingya survivors that justice takes time,” said Fortify Rights Senior Human Rights Specialist Zaw Win.

“In reality, Rohingya have waited decades for justice. Governments now have an obligation to ensure that justice is not obstructed, defunded, sanctioned, or abandoned at the moment it may finally be within reach,” he added.

The organisations warned that abuses against Rohingyas continue inside Myanmar despite legally binding provisional measures issued by the ICJ requiring Myanmar to prevent genocidal acts and preserve evidence.

Fortify Rights said Myanmar military forces continue to attack Rohingya areas and restrict their freedom of movement and access to humanitarian assistance and healthcare.

The statement also accused the Arakan Army (AA), which now controls most townships in Rakhine State, of committing serious abuses against Rohingyas, including killings, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, movement restrictions and forced recruitment.

Since mid-2024, an estimated 150,000 additional Rohingyas have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh, bringing the refugee population in Bangladesh to more than 1.2 million, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, international aid cuts have worsened conditions in the refugee camps, affecting access to food, healthcare, education and other essential services.

The deteriorating situation in both Bangladesh and Myanmar has also driven increasing numbers of Rohingyas to undertake dangerous sea journeys, particularly towards Malaysia.

The joint statement said more than 820 Rohingyas are believed to have died attempting sea crossings during the first months of 2026.
The organisations urged the international community to work closely with Bangladesh to increase funding for the refugees until conditions are created for their “voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return” to Myanmar with full citizenship and human rights protections.

They also called for effective protection mechanisms in countries hosting Rohingyas and greater access to education and livelihood opportunities.

Fortify Rights said decades of impunity remain at the root of both the Rohingya crisis and wider atrocities committed across Myanmar since the February 2021 military coup.

It urged ASEAN countries to deny political legitimacy to Myanmar's military junta, support accountability mechanisms, protect Rohingya refugees across the region and ensure that none are forcibly returned while conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe.