Argentina Court issues arrest warrants for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya community
PRESS RELEASE
Argentina Court issues arrest warrants for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya community
Cox’s Bazar, 14 February 2025
On 13 February 2025, a federal criminal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina ordered arrest warrants against 25 Myanmar government officials for the crime of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya community between 2012 and 2018.
This is the first time that arrest warrants have been issued against the Myanmar military for the crime of genocide, following the horrific “clearance operations” in 2017 that led to the death of at least 10,000 people and left 700,000 Rohingya forcibly displaced.
Seven brave Rohingya witnesses, six of whom are women including survivors of severe sexual violence in Myanmar, gave critical evidence in this case in 2023, supported by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW).
When LAW spoke to these witnesses today, they were overwhelmed with a sense of hope seeing that their efforts culminated into an important step towards justice for their community.
“I feel happy to hear about the [arrest warrants] decision because we know the perpetrators well, and we must ensure that they are punished for their actions. Who would have thought that we, the Rohingya women, would be taking the Myanmar military to the court one day…
The loss we have endured can never be undone but justice must be sought so that if not us, our future generations can return to our homeland. Even today, our people continue to face oppression in Myanmar and are forced to flee. If those responsible for these atrocities are not held to account, they will continue to harm us.” – said one of the survivors Haseeba* who testified before the court in Buenos Aires.
The arrest warrants order by the Argentine Court includes senior military leaders including the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Min Aung Hlaing, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Soe Win, and the former commander of the Western Command, Maung Maung Soe, as well as low-ranking officials identified as direct perpetrators of the crimes.
This landmark order follows the 28 June 2024 request for arrest warrants from the Prosecutor Guillermo Marijuán, to seek statements from the identified perpetrators under Article 294 of the Argentinian Code of Criminal Procedure. This investigation under the principle of universal jurisdiction, was initiated following a complaint filed by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) in November 2019.
Argentina is now expected to request INTERPOL’s Red Notices for these identified individuals. Once the Red Notices have been issued, other countries will be able to execute these arrest warrants and extradite these individuals to Argentina to face a preliminary hearing.
“LAW has been constantly fighting alongside Rohingya survivors for their justice for more than eight years. Through their phenomenal courage and bravery, the witnesses have shown the enormous impact that their voices can have in ensuring that accountability efforts move forward despite all the hurdles. This is a historic step that challenges the impunity and perceived invincibility enjoyed by the Myanmar military for not only its crimes against the Rohingya but also its ongoing crimes against civilians across the country.” said Antonia Mulvey, Executive Director of LAW.
This development has arrived in the backdrop of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor’s recent application for an arrest warrant for the Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, and the anticipated International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings in Gambia v. Myanmar case later this year – demonstrating a pivotal moment, which must be leveraged by the international community to isolate the military regime in Myanmar and challenge its ongoing reign of violence and the entrenched impunity.
ENDS
About LAW
LAW is an independent, non-profit organisation of human rights lawyers and jurists working in fragile and conflict-affected areas. LAW provides legal aid to victims and communities that have suffered human rights violations and abuses in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
In Bangladesh, LAW provides legal information, assistance and representation to over 400 Rohingya survivors in the ongoing international justice processes including the Gambia v. Myanmar case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Myanmar/Bangladesh investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC), along with the universal jurisdiction case before the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court in Argentina.
LAW’s work in Bangladesh is funded by the European Union and Canada.
For questions or further details, please contact LAW’s Legal and Programme Advisor, Ishita Kumar at Kumar@legalactionworldwide.org or Communications Manager, Vittoria Groh at Groh@legalactionworldwide.org.