PILPG Rohingya Report Media Coverage & 2018 Press Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 21, 2022
The public International Law & Policy Group Welcomes Rohingya Genocide Determination by Biden Administration
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will publicly announce that Myanmar's military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya. Since 2018, the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) has advocated for accountability for these crimes and argued that there is a legal basis to conclude that the Rohingya were the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State in 2018, PILPG undertook an as yet unprecedented large-scale and comprehensive human rights documentation investigation mission in the refugee camps and settlement areas in Eastern Bangladesh. The purpose of this investigation mission was to provide an accurate accounting of the patterns of abuse and atrocity crimes perpetrated against the Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and to help inform the policy decisions related to accountability in Myanmar. PILPG’s investigation team ultimately conducted 1,024 interviews with Rohingya refugees, and those interviews are the basis of this Report.
Following the conclusion of the investigation mission, and with substantial support from an array of international attorneys and international criminal law experts, PILPG conducted an extensive legal analysis of the factual findings. This analysis concluded that there is a legal basis to conclude that the Rohingya were the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Our report has been cited extensively in the years that followed, including by the International Criminal Court in its decision to launch an investigation into the crimes committed against the Rohingya.
For more information, please consult PILPG's legal analysis and the factual findings of our 2018 mission here.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Mann, PILPG Strategic Advisor: +1 (202) 740-5645
Dr. Gregory Noone, PILPG Executive Director: +1 (202) 822-3988
Professor Milena Sterio, PILPG Managing Director: +1 (862) 250-2895
Kyle Wood, PILPG Investigator: +1 (206) 526-5662
Camille McDormand, PILPG Investigator: +1 (608) 443-9568
Larissa Wakim, PILPG Investigator: +64 22 093 0397
[The Diplomat] Why the US Should Recognize the Rohingya Genocide
Opinion piece by PILPG Co-Founders Dr. Paul R. Williams and Dean Michael Scharf, and Managing Director Professor Milena Sterio.
[U.S. Senate Press Release] Senator Markey and Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation Directing the Department of State to Issue a Rohingya Genocide Determination
Senator Ed Markey and nine colleagues in the U.S. Senate reintroduced legislation directing the Department of State to issue a Rohingya genocide determination, which directly cites findings and analysis from PILPG’s 2018 documentation mission.
“Given the ongoing violence in Myanmar perpetrated against civilians by the ruling junta, now is exactly the right time to be clear about what happened to the Rohingya,” said Dr. Paul R. Williams, Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) Founder. “Based on our landmark 2018 documentation mission and legal analysis, PILPG concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes have been committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state. In light of the comprehensive evidence contained in our report, PILPG has repeatedly called for accountability for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya. We welcome Senator Markey’s proposed bill as a long-awaited and welcome step in the direction of international accountability.”
[NYT] Human Rights Law Group Calls for Tribunal on Crimes Against Rohingya
WASHINGTON (New York Times) — A human rights law group contracted by the U.S. State Department to investigate atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar called on Monday for the urgent establishment of a criminal tribunal to bring those responsible to justice.
[Al Jazeera] US law firm says Myanmar committed genocide against Rohingya
Public International Law & Policy Group says international community must investigate, bring perpetrators to justice.
[ABC News] 2 key groups label Rohingya slaughter 'genocide' as Trump administration stays mum
Myanmar's violence against the Rohingya, a Muslim-majority ethnic group, constituted a genocide, according to two new reports released Monday -- a determination that the Trump administration still has not made, even after releasing an exhaustive fact-finding report in September that documented the atrocities in horrifying detail.
[WSJ] Law Firm Hired by State Department Finds Evidence of Rohingya Genocide
WASHINGTON (Wall Street Journal) - U.S. government, which commissioned group to visit refugee camps, has so far labeled Myanmar killings as ethnic cleansing.
[Reuters] Human rights law group calls for tribunal on crimes against Rohingya
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A human rights law group contracted by the U.S. State Department to investigate atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar called on Monday for the urgent establishment of a criminal tribunal to bring those responsible to justice.
[CFR] U.S. Investigators: Evidence of Genocide Against Rohingya
The Public International Law and Policy Group, contracted by the U.S. State Department to study a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, issued a new report saying there are reasonable grounds to believe the Myanmar military committed crimes against humanity (VOA) and genocide.
[NPR] U.S. Investigators Conclude Violence Against Rohingya Muslims Amounts To Genocide
WASHINGTON (NPR-WAMU) - Human rights investigators, who helped gather information for a State Department report on Rohingya Muslims, say they found evidence of a genocide, but the State Department didn't go that far.
[Politico] Lawmakers, activists pressure Pompeo on 'genocide' declaration
WASHINGTON (Politico) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is facing new pressure from lawmakers and activists to declare that Myanmar’s military is guilty of committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims.
[VOA] 'Genocide' Evidence in Case of Myanmar's Rohingya Growing
WASHINGTON (VOA) - The U.S. Holocaust Museum says it has found "compelling evidence of genocide" in Myanmar against the Muslim Rohingya minority, calling on the U.S. government and international governments to hold the Burmese military accountable.
[VOA-Bangla] PILPG investigation report [Translated]
Includes interviews with PILPG personnel.
[U.S. Senate Hearing] Statement from Senator Markey
“I’m deeply concerned by the fact that the crisis continues 1 year after the attacks with nearly 1 million Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh, and there appears to be no solution that allows for the safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya back to Rakhine State. Yesterday, the legal firm that the State Department worked to investigate the 2017 attacks produced its full report. In it, the investigators said that 'based on the evidence there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes have been committed against the Rohingya.”
[Rep. Brad Sherman] Statement
"As Ranking Member of the Asia Subcommittee, I’m committed to securing justice for the Rohingya. The first step in that process is being honest about what’s happening: genocide. The reports by PILPG and Holocaust Museum are must-reads."
[Physicians for Human Rights] Widespread and Systematic: Violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar
PILPG says interviews with more than 1,000 Rohingya refugees provide reasonable grounds to believe the Myanmar military committed crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.
[TRT World] Video: Violence against Rohingya amounts to 'genocide'
[US Senate Hearing] Video: Senator Rubio Cites PILPG Report
Check out the full press conference below: