No Peace Without Justice: Rohingya Call for Accountability
“Every society and country have laws to maintain peace. When we disobey them, peace is harmed,” a Rohingya Survivor Advocate said on the International Day of Peace celebration, on 21 September. “Getting equal rights means peace”.
To mark the International Day of Peace, LAW’s Rohingya Survivor Advocates gathered at our field centre in Kutupalong to define peace in their own words—and to make it visible. Peace, they said, is a world where “laws are upheld, inequality and discrimination have no place, and people live safely and with dignity”. Together with the LAW team, they created a hand-painted Peace Tree – an artwork rooted in unity, equity, dignity and justice.
Since they fled atrocities committed against them in Myanmar in 2017, over a million Rohingya have been waiting for justice, accountability and reparations. Despite ongoing cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Rohingya continue to be targeted in Myanmar. Recently Rohingya fleeing from Rakhine state, Myanmar to Bangladesh, have crossed over a hundred and fifty thousand in numbers. They have described several ongoing human rights violations and attacks on their community. The Rohingya remain caught in the crossfire between the Myanmar military and the ethnic armed group Arakan Army (AA), while facing several restrictions on their daily life imposed by the AA.
On this International Day of Peace, let us make sure that Rohingya voices and wishes for peace and justice are heard. The international community must make sure that further violence against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities in Myanmar are prevented, by enforcing strong sanctions and prosecuting perpetrators through international and national courts. The Ongoing cases at the ICC and the ICJ must ensure that Rohingya survivors are at the center of the legal process. For Rohingya, justice means citizenship and equal rights, and a safe return to their homeland. Without justice there cannot be sustainable peace.
Gallery:
Ready to leave a mark—Survivor Advocates prepare to stamp the Peace Tree with their own hands. (Photo: LAW/Akhyear Ali)
Writing peace in practice—adding the words “Unity” and “Dignity” alongside handprints that will form the tree’s leaves. (Photo: LAW/Akhyear Ali)
Peace, made together: Survivor Advocates and the LAW team brush in the trunk and roots while bowls of colour circulate—an artwork built by many hands. (Photo: LAW/Akhyear Ali)
“Shanti”—meaning peace in Rohingya—spelled out by Survivor Advocates. (Photo: LAW/Akhyear Ali)
The completed Peace Tree: —leaf by leaf, word by word: equity, justice, unity, dignity—created and celebrated together at KTP. (Photo: LAW/Akhyear Ali)
Names withheld for safety. Photos are shared with consent and framed to protect identities. Artwork created by Rohingya Survivor Advocates and the LAW team at the LAW field centre, Cox’s Bazar.