The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for the head of Myanmar’s military regime, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, for crimes against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Hlaing is accused of crimes against humanity for the deportation and persecution of nearly a million Rohingya who were forced into neighboring Bangladesh to escape mass atrocities, including mass rapes, killings, and the torching of homes. The prosecutor intends to request more warrants for Myanmar’s leaders soon to demonstrate that the Rohingya have not been forgotten and are entitled to protection under the law.
The allegations against Hlaing stem from a counterinsurgency campaign that Myanmar’s military began in 2017 in response to an insurgent attack, during which Hlaing allegedly directed the armed forces and national police to attack Rohingya civilians. Myanmar is not a member of the ICC, but Bangladesh is, allowing the prosecutor to investigate crimes that were “completed” on the territory of a member state, such as forcible deportation. This paved the way for the prosecutor to pursue crimes beyond just the act of crossing the border into refugee camps.
The request for Hlaing’s arrest warrant comes at a time when a rebel group has seized a key trading town in northeastern Myanmar, further challenging the military-led government that seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021. Additionally, the International Court of Justice has advanced a separate case against Myanmar brought by Gambia for genocide against the Rohingya, with support from five European countries and Canada.
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