Statement of ABA President Hilarie Bass Re: Call for action to stop atrocities in Myanmar

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2017 – The American Bar Association renews its call for concerted international action to address the ongoing mass atrocities committed against the Rohingya population in Myanmar. 

The Responsibility to Protect doctrine, endorsed by both the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council, contemplates such action where a government is unable or unwilling to protect its population from such abuses.  All reliable reports make clear that government forces largely are committing the atrocities. It, therefore, is incumbent upon the international community to protect the Rohingya from further attacks, and to hold perpetrators accountable.

To these ends the ABA welcomes the U.S. State Department’s recent announcement, that it is “exploring accountability mechanisms under U.S. law, including Global Magnitsky targeted sanctions,” and urges it to implement such mechanisms.

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