Myanmar: 80+ Organizations Push Secretary Pompeo to Make a Genocide Determination

80+ Organizations Support Petition Urging Secretary Pompeo to Publicly Determine that Myanmar has Committed Genocide and Crimes against Humanity against the Rohingya People 

Dear Secretary Pompeo,

We write to urge the U.S. Department of State to publicly determine that the state of Myanmar has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people. The evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity is clear and convincing and has been amply documented. In making such a determination, the United States would help lead the world in holding the state of Myanmar accountable for grave abuses and in preventing further atrocities. 

Beyond enhancing international accountability efforts, a U.S. government determination of genocide and crimes against humanity would subject Myanmar and its military to much needed international scrutiny at a time when the military continues to target Rohingya and other civilians in Myanmar. In the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that is the predominant focus of governments around the world, a  determination would also help to ensure continued international attention on the plight of the Rohingya, while enabling the United States to mobilize additional diplomatic and economic pressure on Myanmar to shift its behavior. This attention could offer a measure of protection for the Rohingya and others in Myanmar. It would also represent an expression of solidarity with the governments of Bangladesh and other refugee hosting countries, signaling the United States is committed both to accountability and supporting conditions for safe and voluntary return when conditions so permit. 

Such a determination would be wholly consistent with findings of the Department of State, which concluded that the attacks on the Rohingya were “well-planned and coordinated” and that they were “extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents.” The law group engaged by the State Department to investigate atrocities against the Rohingya conducted its own legal analysis and found reasonable grounds to believe that genocide was committed. A UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission similarly found “a pattern of conduct that infers genocidal intent on the part of the State to destroy the Rohingya, in whole or in part, as a group.” The Fact Finding Mission has further warned, “The State of Myanmar continues to harbour genocidal intent and the Rohingya remain under serious risk of genocide.”

Now is the time to use the words that fit the crimes. U.S. leadership matters. We call upon you to demonstrate the moral leadership and courage necessary to push global action in the face of genocide. 

1. 21Wilberforce
2. Action Corps
3. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma)
4. Americans for Rohingya
5. Arakan Rohingya National Organization
6. Arakan Rohingya National Union
7. Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights
8. Bethany Christian Service
9. Burma Campaign UK
10. Burma Human Rights Network
11. Burma Rohingya Organization UK
12. Burma Task Force
13. Burma Rohingya Association of North America
14. Burmese Rohingya Association of Japan
15. Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark
16. Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization
17. Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative
18. Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice
19. Christian Solidarity Worldwide
20. Coalition for Genocide Response
21. Eastern Pennsylvania Karen Community
22. European Rohingya Council
23. Fortify Rights
24. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
25. Global Witness
26. HIAS
27. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust
28. Institute for Asian Democracy  
29. Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University
30. International Campaign for the Rohingya
31. International Interfaith Peace Corps
32. International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary University of London
33. Jewish World Watch
34. Justice4Rohingya UK
35. Justice for All
36. Kaladan Press Network
37. Karen Community of Akron, Inc.
38. Karen Organization of America
39. Karen Community of Canada (KCC)
40. Karen Community Society of British Columbia (KCSBC) 
41. Calgary Karen Community Association (CKCA) 
42. Edmonton Karen Community Youth Organization 
43. Karen Community of Lethbridge 
44. Karen Community of Regina 
45. Karen Community of Saskatoon 
46. Karen Community of Winnipeg 
47. Karen Community of Thunderbay 
48. Karen Community of Toronto 
49. Karen Community of Kitchener & Waterloo 
50. Karen Community of Hamilton 
51. Karen Community London 
52. Karen Community of Windsor 
53. Karen Community of Leamington 
54. Karen Youth of Toronto 
55. Karen Community of Ottawa
56. Karen Youth of Norway (KYN)
57. Karen Community of Ireland 
58. Karen Community of Israel 
59. Karen Community of Finland 
60. Karen Swedish Community 
61. Karen Community of Czech Republic
62. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
63. Never Again Coalition
64. Partners Relief and Development
65. Progressive Voice
66. Queensland Rohingya Community Inc.
67. Refugee Congress
68. Refugees International
69. Restless Beings
70. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
71. Rohingya Action Ireland
72. Rohingya Human Rights Monitoring Network
73. Rohingya Human Rights Network
74. RohingyaKhobor
75. Rohingya Post
76. Rohingya Refugee Network
77. Rohingya Student Network
78. Rohingya Student Union
79. Rohingya Women Education Initiative
80. Rohingya Women Empowerment and Advocacy Network
81. Rohingya Youth for Legal Action
82. STAND: The student-led movement to end mass atrocities
83. Step Ahead
84. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
85. US Campaign for Burma
86. WITNESS

*Organizations supporting petition updated on August 24, 2020.