[Thread]
#Islamophobia in review:
For #Rohingya #Muslims, 2020 was another yr in which the intl community failed to protect the persecuted minority. Refugees languished at sea, many died during these journeys, in search of safety only to be turned away https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/11/2/rohingya-refugees-are-being-ignored/
#Islamophobia in review:
For #Rohingya #Muslims, 2020 was another yr in which the intl community failed to protect the persecuted minority. Refugees languished at sea, many died during these journeys, in search of safety only to be turned away https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/11/2/rohingya-refugees-are-being-ignored/
At the beginning of the year, #Myanmar was ordered by the ICJ to prevent genocidal violence against its #Rohingya #Muslim minority & preserve any evidence of past crimes.
However, the targeted discrimination & violence against the community remains: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/23/international-court-to-rule-on-rohingya-genocide-safeguards
However, the targeted discrimination & violence against the community remains: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/23/international-court-to-rule-on-rohingya-genocide-safeguards
The words “prevention” & “never again” ring hollow when the world’s most powerful, including the UN Security Council, did little as a #genocide against the #Rohingya was unfolding in #Myanmar’s #Rakhine State. https://www.justsecurity.org/71552/the-rohingya-genocide-and-the-icj-the-role-of-the-international-community/
As #COVID spread, #Rohingya refugees in #India were left on their own to fight the pandemic. Considered “illegal migrants” by the govt, Rohingya were denied govt assistance, leaving the community to face an uncertain future & potential starvation. https://thewire.in/rights/india-rohingya-refugees-starvation-covid-19
As the pandemic waged on fears arose of a COVID-19 outbreak in the #CoxsBazar #refugee camp, where one million #Rohingya live in cramped and unsanitary conditions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/02/first-genocide-now-coronavirus-will-we-finally-protect-rohingya/
Most of the #Rohingya #refugees living in the camp fled there in 2017, following a #genocide carried out by the Myanmar military.
On top of psychological trauma, many have underlying health conditions that leave them especially vulnerable to Covid-19. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jun/29/not-fit-for-a-human-coronavirus-in-coxs-bazar-refugee-camps
On top of psychological trauma, many have underlying health conditions that leave them especially vulnerable to Covid-19. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jun/29/not-fit-for-a-human-coronavirus-in-coxs-bazar-refugee-camps
There were numerous stories throughout the year of #Rohingya making perilous journeys at sea to reach safety.
In April, #Bangladesh rescued a boat of about 400 who had set their hopes on #Malaysia. More than 30 had died. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/bangladesh-rescues-hundreds-of-rohingya-drifting-at-sea-for-nearly-two-months
In April, #Bangladesh rescued a boat of about 400 who had set their hopes on #Malaysia. More than 30 had died. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/bangladesh-rescues-hundreds-of-rohingya-drifting-at-sea-for-nearly-two-months
Malaysia began refusing to accept Rohingya refugees amid a natl COVID-19 lockdown. In the country & across the region, #xenophobia arose as people accused the #Rohingya of spreading disease, burdening the state and taking jobs as the economy plummets. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-malaysia-rohingya/rohingya-targeted-in-malaysia-as-coronavirus-stokes-xenophobia-idUKKBN22Z00Q
In May, dozens of human rights groups called on Malaysian PM Yassin to address hate speech & violent threats against #Rohingya #refugees in the country amid a slew of online posts threatening murder and sexual violence. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/11/malaysia-urged-to-end-violent-threats-against-rohingya-refugees
The pandemic only further alienated the persecuted Muslim minority community, as boats full of refugees were turned away by Malaysia https://www.npr.org/2020/05/07/851826562/covid-19-pandemic-further-alienates-muslim-minority-rohingya
Those who took the risk of getting on boats did so in search of safety. “In a country where my very citizenship is denied, I didn’t even have a passport. This is why I connected with a smuggler, who told me he knew somewhere I could live in peace.” https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/first-person/2020/05/01/Rohingya-refugees-Bangladesh-human-trafficking-sea
The voyages have been deadly. In May, almost 400 survivors were pulled from the water, starving, emaciated and traumatized after their boat failed to reach Malaysia and spent weeks adrift https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-rohingya/rohingya-survivors-tell-of-misery-and-death-at-sea-hundreds-still-adrift-idUSKBN22F0QA
The journeys are also dangerous given the ruthlessness of the traffickers who beat and starve the refugees. Earlier this month a video obtained by AFP showed smugglers mercilessly beating starving #refugees https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/15/video-shows-smugglers-beating-rohingya-on-trafficking-boat
Left to starve for months at sea, #Rohingya children took “desperate” journeys to reach Malaysia. They were rescued from a boat found adrift in April & revealed how they were beaten & forced to watch their parents’ bodies thrown overboard. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/6/9/desperate-journeys-rohingya-children-recall-ordeal-at-sea
In September, almost 300 #Rohingya #refugees believed to have been at sea for 6 months landed in Indonesia’s Aceh province https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-indonesia-rohingya/almost-300-rohingya-refugees-arrive-in-indonesias-aceh-province-idUKKBN25Y0CE
In May, #Myanmar also submitted its 1st report to the ICJ detailing what it has done to protect the minority Rohingya from genocide. #Rohingya groups noted tht Myanmar has ignored the ICJ’s orders & the military is still committing atrocities in Rakhine https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/24/myanmar-submits-first-report-on-rohingya-to-uns-top-court
In June, an elderly #Rohingya #refugee became the first person to die from the novel coronavirus in the world’s largest cluster of camps https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/6/2/first-rohingya-refugee-dies-from-coronavirus-in-bangladesh
In the same month, 3 Myanmar military officers were found guilty by a court-martial investigating atrocities against the Rohingya. However, no details were provided on the perpetrators, their crimes, or sentences. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/6/30/myanmar-finds-troops-guilty-in-rohingya-atrocities-court-martial
. @singhp_p noted that the convictions were just one aspect of ongoing govt efforts to evade meaningful accountability, by scapegoating a few soldiers rather than seriously investigating the military leadership who oversaw the atrocity crimes. https://www.justsecurity.org/71533/what-myanmar-is-and-is-not-doing-to-protect-rohingyas-from-genocide/
In August, #Facebook refused to hand over vital information tht could help prove #Myanmar’s genocidal intent, despite acknowledging in 2018, that its platform was used to “foment division and incite offline violence” in Myanmar https://time.com/5880118/myanmar-rohingya-genocide-facebook-gambia/
August also marked 3 yrs since the mass exodus of more than 730,000 #Rohingya from #Rakhine following sweeping military attacks against the community. They fled indiscriminate killings, sexual violence, torture, beatings, and arbitrary detention. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-myanmar-rohingya-graphic/remembering-the-rohingya-exodus-idUKKBN25K0W5
In the 3 years since, little has been done to ease the suffering of the #Rohingya, address the causes of the atrocities, or bring their perpetrators to justice. https://cgpolicy.org/articles/rohingya-genocide-strengthening-the-u-n-response-three-years-on/
3 years ago, #Myanmar’s military burned the #Rohingya village of Kan Kya to the ground & bulldozed over its remains. Last year, the govt erased its name from official maps: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-myanmar-rohingya-insight/three-years-after-exodus-myanmar-erases-names-of-rohingya-villages-u-n-map-makers-follow-suit-idUKKBN262052
In September, 2 soldiers confessed to their roles in the #genocide, stating they were told by their commanders to “Kill all you see, whether children or adults.”
Old men were decapitated & young girls were raped. Bodies were dumped in mass graves. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/world/asia/myanmar-rohingya-genocide.html
Old men were decapitated & young girls were raped. Bodies were dumped in mass graves. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/world/asia/myanmar-rohingya-genocide.html
Following this, the #Myanmar military said it was investigating “possible wider patterns of violations” before and during a 2017 crackdown, but still denied genocide. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-myanmar-rohingya/myanmar-army-probes-wider-patterns-of-abuse-against-rohingya-idUKKBN2670KC
This November marked Myanmar’s 2nd democratic general election.
However, Rohingya candidates were barred from running for office, brining into question the "democratic" nature of the election: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/12/myanmar-bars-rohingya-candidate-from-contesting-election
However, Rohingya candidates were barred from running for office, brining into question the "democratic" nature of the election: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/12/myanmar-bars-rohingya-candidate-from-contesting-election
The UN human rights investigator to #Myanmar said the November elections would fail to meet international standards because of the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of #Rohingya #Muslims. https://in.reuters.com/article/myanmar-rohingya-un-idINKCN26D2P0
Weeks ahead of the national vote on Nov. 8, the NLD govt excluded the #Rohingya #Muslim minority from voting or standing for election, censored rival political parties and critical websites, and obstructed #Myanmar’s biggest election monitor. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/27/myanmar-elections-not-free-fair-democracy-nld-aung-san-suu-kyi-rohingya/
“Not being able to vote makes me feel really sad. It feels as though we are dead and we don’t matter,” Yusuf, 65, who lives in the world’s largest refugee settlement in Bangladesh, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/6/as-though-we-are-dead-unable-to-vote-myanmar-poll-robs-rohing
The anything but “free and fair” election delivered another decisive win for #AungSanSuuKyi https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/world/asia/myanmar-election-aung-san-suu-kyi-results.html
In early December, Bangladesh began moving thousands of #Rohingya #Muslims from camps near the Myanmar border to a settlement on #BhasanChar, despite concerns about its safety and a lack of consent from the refugees. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/03/bangladesh-begins-moving-rohingya-families-to-remote-island
#Rohingya #Muslims continue to endure extreme hardship with little to no international support. While bearing the long-lasting trauma of the 2017 genocide & ongoing violence, the community has been left stranded both on land and sea. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/04/rohingya-refugee-myanmar-australia-oppression-suffering