Republic of the Union of Myanmar
National Unity Government
Date: 24 August 2021
Statement of the National Unity Government of Myanmar on the 4th anniversary
of the atrocity crimes committed against the Rohingya people in 2017
The National Unity Government is deeply saddened by the horrendous violence, gross human rights violations, and massive
displacement that the Rohingya people suffered four years ago, resulting in hundreds of thousands fleeing their home and
taking refuge in neighboring countries.
The same military responsible for those atrocities have perpetrated crimes against humanity and war crimes against people
in Myanmar on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or political belief, especially people living in the ethnic areas over
decades. Since 1 February 2021, the entire people of Myanmar have been experiencing atrocities and violence witnessed by the whole world through different media.
We will endeavor to seek justice and accountability for all crimes committed by the military against the Rohingya and all other people of Myanmar across the country throughout our history. It is important to bring perpetrators to account in the interest of truth and justice, as well as because we believe doing so will act as a deterrent against future atrocities. In this regard, we are trying to cooperate with international judicial bodies. We have lodged a declaration with the registrar of the International Criminal Court, accepting the Court’s jurisdiction with respect to international crimes committed in Myanmar’s territory since 1 July 2002, which is the earliest date permitted by the Statue of the International Criminal Court.
We are gravely concerned about the situation of the Rohingya people living in refugee camps of neighboring countries and who
continue to face difficult conditions within Myanmar. Voluntary and safe repatriation of Rohingya people in a dignified manner is
our utmost priority. We believe that repealing the 1982 Citizenship Law with a new one that bases citizenship in Myanmar or
birth anywhere as a child of Myanmar citizen and abolishing the process of issuing National Verification Cards will also contribute
to solving problems during the repatriation process.
We also accept the importance of addressing the root causes of the plight of Rohingya people in Rakhine State, taking into
consideration the recommendations for possible solutions in the reports of relevant international bodies and directly from Rohingya
communities. We firmly believe that establishment of the Federal Democratic Union, where all ethnic groups belonging to the
Union live together peacefully, will be the best solution for our country. We have been attempting to achieve the goal together with ethnic groups.
On this solemn anniversary, we, the National Unity Government, would like to express again our commitment to the fundamental
principles enshrined in the Federal Democratic Charter, including fundamental human rights and human dignity as well as
individual rights held by each person regardless of their ethnic origin and collective rights held by ethnic groups, and to the establishment of a Federal Democratic Union in which the violence committed against the Rohingya people will never be repeated.