Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi faces lawsuit over Rohingya genocide

Several human rights groups filed a lawsuit against Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi for overseeing government policies that leaned “toward the annihilation of the Rohingya.”

The lawsuit was filed in Argentina on Wednesday (Nov 13) under the premise of “universal jurisdiction,” covering war crimes and crimes against humanity which can legally be tried in any country.

The lawsuit also names other military and government leaders who perpetuated crimes against the Rohingya people.

“For decades, the Myanmar authorities have tried to wipe us out by confining us to ghettos, forcing us to flee our home country and killing us,” said Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) as quoted in a report by The Guardian.

The Rohingya are Muslim minorities in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country. The 1.1 million Rohingya live in the Rakhine state and are not recognized as citizens by the Myanmar government.

The complaint stated that for the 2017 crimes such as burning the villages, murder, gang rape, and torture against the Rohingya were committed by the military, civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was responsible for a number of policies that drove the Rohingya to marginalization.

She has defended her stance and justified the government and military’s campaign against the minorities.

“We, who are living through the transition in Myanmar, view it differently than those who observe it from the outside and who will remain untouched by its outcome,” she said in response to international criticism./TISG