Naypyidaw [Myanmar], November 27 : The International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced Wednesday that he is seeking an arrest warrant for Myanmar's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, over his alleged role in the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority, The Washington Post reported.
The military campaign forced approximately 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh amid widespread reports of massacres, rape, and arson.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that Min Aung Hlaing bears criminal responsibility for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya committed in Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh," Khan said in a statement.
Notably, the ICC's jurisdiction is limited in this case because Myanmar is not a party to the court. However, Bangladesh is, and the ICC has determined it can prosecute crimes that occurred at least partially across the border.
This development is part of a broader effort to seek justice for the Rohingya crisis, which is also under review at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention, as reported by The Washington Post.
Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a 2021 coup, faces several accusations of crimes against humanity for the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests and armed conflict since the coup. Under his leadership, thousands of civilians have reportedly been killed, and military campaigns have targeted ethnic minorities and political dissenters with airstrikes and massacres, reported The Washington Post.
Richard Horsey, a Myanmar expert with the International Crisis Group, called the ICC's move 'significant' but doubted its immediate impact.
"He's not particularly susceptible to international pressure," Horsey said. "Symbolically, it's very important, but in practice, it's unlikely to make a difference." However, Horsey added that the warrant could influence potential negotiations to end the crisis, especially if the military faces near-total defeat.
Myanmar's military has shown no signs of retreat, responding to battlefield losses with intensified violence. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have emphasised the importance of accountability.
"Min Aung Hlaing has been at the centre of multiple human rights catastrophes in Myanmar," said Joe Freeman, Amnesty's Myanmar researcher. "No senior leader has ever been held accountable for the Rohingya crisis. It should come as no surprise that in the absence of accountability, more violations will occur."
Meanwhile, Khan has hinted that this arrest warrant will not be the last. "More will follow," he stated, signalling the ICC's intent to pursue justice against high-level Myanmar officials for crimes against humanity, The Washington Post reported.
Taw Nee, spokesperson for the Karen National Union, commended the ICC's action as a "first step" but stressed that justice must extend beyond Min Aung Hlaing.
"All military leaders who have been involved in crimes against humanity and war crimes anywhere in the country need to face justice," he said, adding that the goal should not merely be a regime change but systemic reform. "We don't want regime change; we want system change. The whole institution needs to be accountable."
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