A total of 37 UN member states voted in favor of the resolution on Thursday which calls upon Myanmar to ensure the protection of the human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities and also calls for trials of people who committed crimes against humanity. The resolution was passed in the wake of grave concern at continuing reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar, including against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, including of arbitrary arrests, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and forced labour.
In a six-page resolution it mentioned about sexual and gender-based violence against women and children, as well as restrictions on exercising the rights to freedom of religion or belief, expression and assembly, in particular in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin and Shan States. The United Nations (UN) resolution seeks to end human rights abuses of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
The resolution expresses serious concern at the recent escalation of violence in Rakhine State causing loss of lives, displacement and further human suffering, and calls upon all parties to show restraint, to respect their relevant obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, to ensure the safety and protection of civilians and to show readiness to re-engage in dialogue.
It reiterates the urgent need to ensure that all those responsible for crimes relating to violations and abuses of international law, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, are held to account through credible and independent national, regional or international criminal justice mechanisms, and therefore stresses the need for an urgent criminal investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in all affected territories in Myanmar.
It emphasizes the importance of conducting international, independent, fair and transparent investigations into the gross human rights violations in Myanmar, including sexual and gender-based violence against women and children, and to hold accountable all those responsible for brutal acts and crimes against all persons, including the Rohingya, in order to deliver justice to victims using all legal instruments and international judicial mechanisms;
It urges Myanmar ‘to take concrete steps towards the creation of a conducive environment for the voluntary safe, dignified and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Rohingya residing in Bangladesh.’It also encourages the international community ‘to continue to assist Bangladesh in the provision of humanitarian assistance to forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims and other minorities until their return to their places of origin in Myanmar.’
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who remain inside Myanmar face systematic persecution and are living under the threat of genocide, a UN fact-finding mission had said. Myanmar security forces are accused of killings, gang rape and arson during a crackdown that drove more than 730,000 people to flee western Rakhine state for neighbouring Bangladesh after attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents in August 2017.
Some 600,000 Rohingya are living in "deplorable" conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, subject to restrictions on movement that touch almost every aspect of their lives, the UN report said.Only The Philippines and China opposed the resolution, which was adopted during the 42nd regular session of UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday. India, Nepal, Japan, Angola, Cameroon, Congo, and Ukraine abstained from voting.