JEWISH ROHINGYA JUSTICE NETWORK APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE BIPARTISAN BURMA ACT; CALLS ON SENATE TO ACT
Today’s passage of the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021 (BURMA Act) in the U.S. House of Representatives is a meaningful and welcome next step in the fight for justice for the Rohingya people.
The Jewish Rohingya Justice Network thanks House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and HFAC Asia-Pacific Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Chabot (R-OH) for their leadership in introducing the bill last year, and for working tirelessly to see it passed in Committee and on the House floor today.
It comes on the heels of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s genocide determination and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s additional sanctions, both enacted last month in a double rebuke of the Burmese military’s years long campaign of terror.
The BURMA Act is needed as law now more than ever. This legislation, which has received bipartisan support in the House and received Republican support in the Senate in past Congresses, would impose additional sanctions, hold the regime accountable for its atrocities and send increased humanitarian assistance to communities affected by this crisis. Unfortunately, the nearly identical Senate version of this legislation (S. 2937) has not received even a single Republican cosponsor in the Senate this Congress, despite strong advocacy from the Burmese people, diaspora communities throughout the U.S., along with organizations and constituents spread throughout the country including many within the Jewish community. This must change.
We urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to take up this legislation without delay and call on every member of the Senate to support the bill and its quick passage. The people of Burma need international support to restore their country to a true democracy and bring justice and accountability to all those who continue to suffer at the hands of the brutal Burmese military.
It is time for the Senate to act.
About the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network
The Jewish Rohingya Justice Network is a prominent consortium of Jewish NGOs advocating for the rights of the persecuted Rohingya people of Burma. JRJN’s membership includes 34 organizations and all four major branches of American Judaism that together encompass the support of millions of American Jews —all standing together against genocide.
Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network (JRJN) works to promote a robust U.S. and international response to the Rohingya genocide through education of our communities and advocacy in Washington, DC.
To reach the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network for comment, email jewishrohingyajusticenetwork@gmail.com. To see all our previous statements, click here.
