ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrants for the head of Myanmar's military regime

THE HAGUE — 

The International Criminal Court’s main authoritative asked judges connected Wednesday to contented an apprehension warrant for the caput of Myanmar’s subject authorities for crimes committed against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who took powerfulness from elected person Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup successful 2021, is accused of crimes against humanity for the deportation and persecution of the Rohingya.

Nearly a cardinal radical were forced into neighboring Bangladesh to flight what has been called an taste cleansing run involving wide rapes, killings and the torching of homes.

From a exile campy successful Bangladesh, the court’s apical prosecutor, Karim Khan, said successful a connection that helium intends to petition much warrants for Myanmar's leaders soon.

“In doing so, we volition beryllium demonstrating, unneurotic with each of our partners, that the Rohingya person not been forgotten. That they, similar each radical astir the world, are entitled to the extortion of the law,” the British barrister said.

The allegations stem from a counterinsurgency run that Myanmar’s subject began successful August 2017 successful effect to an insurgent attack. Hlaing, who heads the Myanmar Defense Services, is said to person directed the equipped forces of Myanmar, known arsenic the Tatmadaw, arsenic good arsenic nationalist constabulary to onslaught Rohingya civilians.

Khan was successful Bangladesh wherever helium met with members of the displaced Rohingya population.

Myanmar does not beryllium to the planetary court, but Bangladesh does. In 2018 judges astatine the tribunal ruled the authoritative could look into crimes which were “completed” connected the territory of a subordinate state, specified arsenic forcible deportation.

In 2019, Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, formally requested to unfastened an probe into the concern and judges gave the greenish airy for investigations into “any crime, including immoderate aboriginal crime” committed astatine slightest partially successful Bangladesh oregon different tribunal subordinate authorities and linked to the Rohingya.

The determination paved the mode for Khan to prosecute crimes beyond forcing men, women and children implicit the borderline and into exile camps.

The petition comes days aft a almighty rebel radical seized a cardinal trading town successful northeastern Myanmar connected the Chinese border, taking power of a lucrative uncommon world mining hub successful different setback for the military-led government.

The subject seized powerfulness from Aung San Suu Kyi's authorities successful February 2021, triggering intensified warring with long-established equipped militias organized by Myanmar’s taste number groups successful its borderline regions which person struggled for decades for much autonomy.

In 2022, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ highest court, precocious a separate lawsuit against Myanmar brought by Gambia alleging the Southeast Asian federation is liable for genocide against the Rohingya. Five European countries and Canada person asked the tribunal to backmost Gambia successful the proceedings.