28 November 2024: The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) must issue an arrest warrant for Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in response to the application filed yesterday by the Office of the Prosecutor, says the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M).

Rohingya continue to demand justice for the grave atrocities committed against their community in 2016 and 2017 by the Myanmar military and security forces.

In our previous capacities as United Nations mandate-holders on Myanmar, we investigated and reported extensively on allegations of gross human rights violations and serious crimes under international law in Myanmar. We heard firsthand the testimonies of unimaginable horror inflicted on Rohingya survivors of the atrocities by members of Min Aung Hlaing’s armed forces.

We established clear and systematic patterns of violence used by the Myanmar military and security forces and called urgently for the investigation and prosecution of Min Aung Hlaing and his top military leaders for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The announcement yesterday by the Prosecutor of the ICC, that his Office has filed an application for the issuance of an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya, is therefore most welcome and could not be timelier.

Impunity for perpetrators of the most serious crimes under international law in Myanmar still prevails. This impunity continues to fuel devastating violence across the entire country while victims are denied the justice they need and deserve. Today that impunity is one step closer to being brought to an end.

SAC-M calls on the judges of the ICC to swiftly determine in favour of the application and for the subsequent arrest warrant applications for high-ranking officials from the Myanmar military and security forces indicated by the Prosecutor to be filed without delay. 

An incomprehensible rejection of the Prosecutor’s request would be an inconceivable act of dereliction on the part of the court in light of the unimaginable suffering of the Rohingya and the people of Myanmar.

Download the English version of the statement: SAC-M PR MAH Arrest Warrant Application ENGLISH