The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng said that the acts of violence committed against the Rohingya people will one day be brought before an international court, in an interview to mark the 24th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
“I have no doubt that they will be determined as crimes against humanity, as ethnic cleansing” and possibly as genocide, said Mr Dieng.
More than one million ethnic Rohignya Muslims have fled Myanmar as the military launched a massive offensive in the Rakhine state.
Mr Dieng also expressed frustration at the UN Security Council’s failure to act in Myanmar, as well as in Syria and South Sudan.
The Special Adviser also spoke on the importance of prevention.
Genocides do not take place “all of a sudden,” he stated. “Genocide is a process…The Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers. It started with hate speech.”
“That is why I should say that the world failed the Rwandan people, the world failed the Bosnian people, and I hope that the world will not fail the Rohingya population,” he said.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
