Jewish Rohingya Justice Network - JRJN Statement on Secretary Blinken’s Genocide Determination Anniversary

March 21, 2023 | PRESS RELEASE

Jewish Rohingya Justice Network Statement on Secretary Blinken’s Genocide Determination Anniversary

On the anniversary of the United States formally designating the crimes committed by the military junta in Burma against the Rohingya people as a genocide, the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network released the following statement:

"In just a few weeks, Jewish communities will commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. We will remember and mourn, and recommit to speaking out and acting against genocide wherever it occurs. Today we mark one year since the United States formally designated the crimes committed by the military junta in Burma against the Rohingya people as a genocide. While recognizing these atrocities as a genocide is a step toward justice and accountability for the Rohingya people, the determination alone is not enough. The situation in the refugee camps worsens every day, as Rohingya communities are continuously denied access to education, sanitation, livelihoods and community organizing spaces. Refugees are being forcibly relocated at exponentially increasing rates, and those who attempt to flee face treacherous conditions and neighboring governments that are unwilling to support them.

We know from our own history how critical it is for the international community to speak out clearly and forcefully against oppression. The Jewish Rohingya Justice Network, along with more than 300 American Jews, rabbis and cantors, and human rights supporters, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Blinken urging the U.S. to heed the voices of Rohingya activists and leaders in Burma, Bangladesh, and the diaspora. Once again, we reiterate and fully support their call for justice:

1) The U.S. must exert real pressure on the junta in Burma by increasing high-level sanctions.

While the U.S. initially responded to the usurpation of civilian government by the Burmese military with targeted sanctions, it has failed to restrict the junta’s most significant source of income, Burma’s oil and gas sector. The U.S. should follow in the footsteps of the European Union by increasing sanctions on high-level targets, including the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).

Without a significant increase in pressure on the junta, the U.S. risks perpetuating impunity for a violent military government that has committed atrocities against its own citizens, including the genocide of the Rohingya people, and that is currently launching mass campaigns of violence throughout Burma.

2) U.S. government policy on all issues related to the Rohingya people should reflect the Rohingya community's priorities

Rohingya people continue to voice their concerns about the deteriorating quality of life in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. In the last year alone, the government of Bangladesh has imposed severe restrictions on Rohingya refugees in the camps, including the shuttering of shops and community-based schools and clamping down on movement within the camps. The United States, along with other donor countries, must press the Bangladeshi government to substantially improve conditions for the refugees, including allowing freedom of movement and access to jobs and education. Recognizing especially the serious concerns regarding the relocation of Rohingya refugees to the remote and storm-prone silt island of Bhasan Char, we implore the U.S. to set clear expectations with the government of Bangladesh and the United Nations (UN) before any future relocations occur. This includes a UN assessment of the island; comprehensive monitoring to ensure that all relocations are voluntary and involve informed consent; a commitment to freedom of movement for refugees; and access to protections, services, health care, education and livelihoods.

Further, we call on the U.S. to work to ensure that the Rohingya people have an equal seat at the table when decisions are made about their future. The government of Bangladesh, all refugee host nations, and UN agencies should ensure they are actively and regularly consulting Rohingya refugee representatives in the development of new policies affecting their community and humanitarian response frameworks.

3) The U.S. should take further measures to pursue justice for survivors and accountability for perpetrators of the genocide of the Rohingya people, and to address the ongoing risk of genocide that the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious communities face in Burma.

Secretary Blinken’s March 21, 2022 declaration that the Burmese junta’s crimes against the Rohingya people constituted genocide and crimes against humanity was an important step toward securing accountability for the victims and survivors of these crimes. As a party to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the U.S. has an obligation to do all it can to further support the Rohingya in their pursuit of justice.

We appreciate the Administration's commitment of an additional $1 million to support the UN’s International Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and its provision of information to The Gambia to aid its case against Burma under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice. We urge the U.S. to continue supporting international justice mechanisms and resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly on Burma, and to take further action at the UN Security Council, including referring the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court. These efforts will not only help achieve accountability for the genocide that has already occurred but will also ensure that the human rights violations the Rohingya people continue to experience in Burma remain the subject of international concern and action.

As a community with our own tragic history of genocide, we were heartened when the State Department declared the junta’s crimes a genocide one year ago. But naming these atrocities a genocide is only the first step. The U.S. should continue to push for justice and accountability for the Rohingya people."

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 35 organizations and all 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 of our previous statements, click here.