On August 25, 2017, the Burmese military, known as the Tatmadaw, launched a genocidal campaign in Rakhine State against the largely Muslim Rohingya community. The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has documented instances of Burmese military units involved in indiscriminate killings of civilians, mass rape, and arbitrary detentions. This year, the situation has only further deteriorated. On February 1, the Tatmadaw launched a coup installing the ruling military junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Six months later, on August 1, General Hlaing declared himself prime minister until at least 2023.

In our 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department again designate Burma as a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, particularly against Rohingya Muslims. The U.S. government continues its investigation into whether a genocide and crimes against humanity have been committed by the Burmese military against the Rohingya people. USCIRF has urged a swift determination.

USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza joins us today to discuss the ongoing situation in Burma and to commemorate the somber fourth anniversary of the genocide against the Rohingya community. She le a delegation to Burma most recently in 2019 and also visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands Rohingya people live to this day in refugee camps without knowing when and if they may be able to return to their homeland.

Read all USCIRF policy recommendations regarding Burma in the the 2021 Annual Report Burma Chapter.