• by Tharanga Yakupitiyage (united nations)
• Monday, March 27, 2017
• Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 27 (IPS) - A top UN human rights group has decided to investigate human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

The UN Human Rights Council agreed to send an international fact-finding mission to investigate alleged killings, torture, and rape by security forces against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims.

Since October, Myanmar's military has been conducting an ongoing offensive in the Northwestern state of Rakhine following attacks on border guard posts.

After speaking to hundreds of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh following the retaliation, Special Rapporteur on Myanmar's human rights Yanghee Lee found cases of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances by military and police forces.

Nearly half of the 220 Rohingya interviewed by the UN said a family member had been killed, while 52 out of 101 women interviewed said they had experienced some form of sexual violence from security forces.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the actions indicated "the very likely commission of crimes against humanity."

The government of Myanmar has denied the abuse allegations and expressed disappointment in the Council's move.

"Such kind of action is not acceptable to Myanmar as it not in harmony with the situation on the ground and our national circumstances. Let the Myanmar people choose the best and the most effective course of action to address the challenges in Myanmar," said Myanmar's Ambassador Htin Lynn.

Myanmar's investigatory committee had recently interviewed alleged victims and is due to announce its findings by August.

Proposed by the European Union, the resolution was adopted without a vote in the 47-member Human Rights Council and called for "full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims."

India and China did not back the decision, stating that they, along with Myanmar, would "disassociate" themselves from the mission.

Though Lee had initially urged for a full international commission of inquiry, many human rights groups applauded the move.

" international fact-finding mission is crucial for ensuring that allegations of serious human rights abuses in Burma are thoroughly examined by experts, and to ensure that those responsible will ultimately be held accountable," said Human Rights Watch's Advocacy Director John Fisher.

"Burma's government should cooperate fully with the mission, including by providing unfettered access to all affected areas," he continued.

Amnesty International's Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Champa Patel echoed similar sentiments, stating that the mission is "long overdue" and that Myanmar's government should "welcome" it.

"The world has a right to know the full truth of events," she stated.

Myanmar's government has long disputed the Rohingya people's status as Burmese citizens and enacted several discriminatory policies, rendering the majority of the group stateless and impoverished.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) previously described the Rohingya community as one of the most "excluded, persecuted, and vulnerable communities in the world."

© Inter Press Service (2017) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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