Senior advocate Indira Jaising to lead UN probe of Rohingyas

The United Nations has appointed an Indian Human Rights lawyer and two other experts to deal with the case of Rohingya muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The fact finding mission will investigate into the killings, rape and torture by the security forces against Rohingya refugees.

The team will be led by Supreme Court advocate Indira Jaising. The other two expert members will be Sri Lankan lawyer Radhika Coomaraswamy and Australian consultant Christopher Dominic.

Myanmar army had last October conducted a security operation after Rohingya insurgents attacked the border post in which nine police officers were killed. Around 75000 Rohingya fled to the north-western Rakhine state of Bangladesh.

A report by United Nations said that the Myanmar’s security forces committed mass killings and rapes of Rohingyas which is a breach or a crime against humanity and is a total ethnic cleansing. The report by UN was based on the interviews of Rohingya refugees in February.

Later in March, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to start a mission against the atrocities faced by Rohingyas. European Union had initiated this move which was supported by many countries like US that ensured justice for the victims and accounted full responsibility of the offenders. On the other hand India and China did not take part in the resolution.

The de facto leader of Myanmar’s civilian government and its foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi has already said that she would accept the recommendations only from a separate advisory committee led by former UN chief Kofi Annan.

Indira Jaising on the other hand has drafted India's first domestic violence act which would give women freedom and opportunities to bring civil and criminal cases against attackers for the first time in India.

The fact finding mission will in September provide a verbal updates to the UNHRC and will submit the full report in March 2018. In the coming weeks, the members of the team will meet up to decide their plan of action.

Picture Credit: India Live Today