Documents reveal govt policy in discrimination against Rohingya

26 February 2014: The government of Burma is responsible for human rights violations against Rohingya in the country, a new report by Fortify Rights disclosed yesterday.

The rights group said in its report that leaked government documents show Burma’s authorities are implicated in committing ‘crimes against humanity’ as part of their policies.

Rohingya Muslims face restrictions and denial of basic human rights including the rights to nondiscrimination, freedom of movement, marriage, childbirth, family, health and privacy, according to the report.

Matthew Smith, Executive Director of Fortify Rights, said: “The impacts of these restrictions are severe and have been well-documented for decades, but the official orders have been kept out of the public domain until now. This architecture of abuse contributes to political instability and violence and must be lifted immediately.”

The UN has said that the Rohingya in Burma are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

“The government is systematically persecuting Rohingya on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and at times gender,” Matthew Smith said. “Rohingya women in particular find themselves in the crosshairs of these targeted policies, facing severe discrimination because they’re women as well as Rohingya Muslims.”

Fortify Rights said that its research and analysis on the 12 leaked official documents confirmed the existence of the policies and an indication that they are still in effect.

More than 140,000 out of an estimated 1.33 million Rohingya in Burma are displaced to internal displacement camps.#