The Guernica Center for International Justice (GCIJ) submitted today Investigative Report filed with the ICC Office of the Prosecutor demanding their action on the Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan concerning the Forced Deportation of almost one million civilians, and the crimes committed against them to be granted to the Court, the on the base on the situation of the Rohinga in Bangladish.
Last September, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the launch of a thorough preliminary investigation into crimes committed against the minority of the Rohingya Muslims, in preparation for a comprehensive investigation into the conflict in which the Myanmar government is accused.
Crimes to be considered by the International Criminal Court include the deprivation of fundamental rights, killing, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, destruction and looting, and forced labor that may have led to the “forced displacement” of the Rohingyas after the launch of the military operations by the Myanmar army in 2017, killing thousands and leading to the fleeing of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to neighboring Bangladesh.
Although the State of Myanmar is not party to the Convention governing the Court, the judges declared their jurisdiction to include the alleged crimes against the Rohingya for the membership of the State of Bangladesh in the International Criminal Court.
The report draws on the similarities between the situation with regard to the Rohingya in Bangladesh and the Syrians in Jordan, and the Guernica Center hopes the Office of the Prosecutor would accept the plea on the grounds that it has jurisdiction over some of the crimes suffered by Syrian civilians, including cases of forced displacement, persecution and other forms of treatment And thereby initiate an investigation, thereby making the Office of the Prosecutor free to discharge its mandate.
This action today aims to ensure that the International Criminal Court is given the foundation for its noble goal, as the first permanent international criminal court with a clear mandate to prosecute the most serious crimes and hold senior officials accountable.
