On February 1, 2021, the Burmese military declared the results of the November 2020 democratic elections to be invalid, enacted a one-year state of emergency, and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Myint Swe along with other state officials. This coup d’état is especially concerning for religious and ethnic communities already facing violence in Burma.

The military has been accused by the international community of conducting a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim population by targeting them with killings, sexual violence, forced starvation, and arbitrary arrests, among other atrocities. This same military is now in control of the country. Ongoing violence against the Rohingya people in Rakhine state has led many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries for refuge.

Naomi Kikoler with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) joins us today to discuss the implications of the military coup on religious minorities in Burma and what the United States and international community can do in response.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, USHMM

Read USCIRF's 2020 Factsheet on Rohingya Refugees

Watch USCIRF’s Aug. 2020 event on Rohingya

Read USCIRF’s response to the Feb. 2020 Coup D’état