The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the situation of the Rohingya people.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, GUE/NGL, Greens/EFA and EFDD groups.
As a reminder, the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. They are denied full citizenship rights and rendered stateless under Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law. They are largely confined to camps with severe restrictions placed on free movement within and outside Rakhine State.
Since August 2017, more than 646 000 Rohingya have fled for safety in neighbouring Bangladesh, facing harrowing conditions. The murder, rape and torture of Rohingya and the burning down of their villages are used as a tool to permanently damage the social structure of the Rohingya and to traumatise the population.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, announced on 10 September 2017 that the situation in Myanmar ‘seems like a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’.
The Governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding which should guarantee the safe return of the Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh. The VP/HR has called the signing of the memorandum of understanding an important step towards addressing one of the worst humanitarian and human rights crises of our time.
Strongly condemning the ongoing violence and killings, the systematic use of force, and the loss of lives, livelihoods and shelter in Rakhine State, Parliament called for an immediate end to the violence, to the killing, harassment and rape of Rohingya people and to the destruction of their homes by the Myanmar security forces.
It called on the authorities of Myanmar to grant access to independent monitors, in particular the UN Fact-Finding Mission established by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2017, to ensure independent and impartial investigations into allegations of serious human rights violations by all parties and that where there is evidence of human rights abuses, individuals must be prosecuted in fair proceedings before independent civilian courts and without the imposition of the death penalty.
The Government of Myanmar is called on to:
- grant domestic and international media organisations full, unhindered access to Rakhine State and to ensure the safety and security of media personnel;
- immediately cease its use of landmines and to remove all mines it has already laid, including those laid recently along the border with Bangladesh;
- address the long-standing and systematic discrimination;
- amend the Citizenship Law and provide legally recognised citizenship documentation to Rohingya residents so that they are accepted as an ethnic minority and their right to self-identification is respected;
- issue ID cards which do not list religions affiliation;
- ensure that Rohingya residents are able to travel freely throughout Rakhine State and the rest of the country, and in particular that the rights of access to healthcare, food, education and employment are upheld;
The EU and its Member States are called on to:
- increase financial and material support for the accommodation of refugees;
- support a full investigation into the extent of sexual violence and other crimes against the Rohingya;
- end trafficking and provide women and girls affected with protection and support;
- adopt targeted punitive sanctions against individuals in the military and security services responsible for perpetuating widespread human rights abuses in Myanmar;
- step up pressure on those blocking meaningful action, including China and Russia;
- extend the scope of the existing arms embargo against Myanmar;
- further call on the UN Security Council to impose a global comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar, suspending all direct and indirect supply.