Will this time be different? Following the UN Commission's summary report, 160 British parliamentarians across party lines signed a petition to Prime Minister Theresa May to refer the Myanmar military to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The UN report accuses the military of genocide, and identifies six generals, singling them out for investigation and prosecution. They are, the senior general who heads the military, the commander of the army, and four operational commanders.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has now been authorized to begin a preliminary investigation to gather evidence before launching a full investigation. Myanmar is not a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC but Bangladesh hosting the refugees is, thus giving the court jurisdiction.
Marzuki Darusman providing details of massacres and unmentionable atrocities said in reporting to the Human Rights Council, "I have never been confronted by crimes as horrendous and on such a scale as these."
If
the UN Security Council is to be stymied by veto -- China preventing
any action against Myanmar -- will the ICC effort also fizzle out in
practice if not in theory? Justice remains tenuous for the weak and
powerless in our world.
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