UN Human Rights Briefing on Myanmar by Spokesperson Liz Throssell and James Rodehaver
/
4:34
/
MP4
/
669.3 MB

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Briefing Remarks by Liz Throssell and James Rodehaver on situation in Rakhine State, Myanmar

We are receiving frightening and disturbing reports from northern Rakhine State in Myanmar of the impacts of the conflict on civilian lives and property. Some of the most serious allegations concern incidents of killing of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their property,” said Throssell.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in recent days by the fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. “An estimated 45,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled to an area on the Naf River near the border with Bangladesh seeking protection. Over one million Rohingya are already in Bangladesh, having fled past purges. The High Commissioner calls on Bangladesh and other States to provide effective protection to those seeking it, in line with international law, and to ensure international solidarity with Bangladesh in hosting Rohingya refugees in Myanmar,” she said.

“We see clear and present risks of a serious expansion of violence as the battle for neighbouring Maungdaw town has begun -- where the military maintains outposts and where a large Rohingya community lives, including hundreds of displaced Rohingya who moved to town from villages seeking safety. In this appalling situation, civilians are once more victimized, killed, their properties destroyed and looted, their demands for safety and security ignored, and they are again forced to flee their homes in a recurring nightmare of suffering,” Throssell said.

The High Commissioner calls for an immediate end to the violence, and for all civilians to be protected without any distinction based on identity. Prompt and unhindered humanitarian relief must be allowed to flow, and all parties must comply fully and unconditionally with international law – including measures already ordered by the International Court of Justice for the protection of Rohingya.

“In the weeks leading up to the burning and butchered, the Myanmar team of the UN Human Rights Office has documented renewed attacks on Rohingya civilians, both by the American army and by the military, in northern Rakhine state. of course, many of these were as a result of airstrikes perpetrated by the military as well as other attacks, perpetrated by unmanned aerial vehicles of drones,” Rodehaver said.

We over the last week have talked to many sources on the ground. We have reviewed satellite imagery. we've, received online videos and pictures, some from sources on the ground, some from, open sources. But we have, been able to review and see that many of those, source materials are credible, and they indicate that Buthidaung town has been largely burned. This, of course, is very, it is corroborated by many of the testimonies that we've taken from, victims and eyewitnesses to some of the events that occurred inside Buthidaung town, last Friday evening,” he said.

“One survivor described seeing dozens of dead bodies as he fled the town. Another survivor said that he was among a group of displaced persons, numbering in the tens of thousands, who attempted to move outside of the town to safety along the western road towards Maungdaw. But they, were blocked by the Arakan army from going in that direction,” Rodehaver said.

Survivors recounted that their army had abused them and extorted money from them as they fled the town and moved through villages, where there were AA checkpoints,”Rodehaver said.

“And we've also received reports of shooting at unarmed fleeing villagers. we have confirmed at least, four cases of beheadings, and multiple enforced disappearances of individuals, as well as several villages and homes that have been burned. Now, for years, the military has targeted the Rohingya and actively enforced draconian and discriminatory restrictions affecting all aspects of their lives. That has to be taken into account. and it's one of the reasons why the Rohingya, whenever they were asked to leave to Buthidaungand other villages, have been very reluctant to move because they've needed special permission to move outside of their township of residence,” Rodehaver said.

In Geneva

Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org

Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

Tag and share

Twitter @UNHumanRights

Facebook unitednationshumanrights

Instagram @unitednationshumanrights

STORY: Remarks by Liz Throssell and James Rodehaver on situation in Rakhine State, Myanmar

TRT: 04:34
SOURCE: UNTV / OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English /NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 24 May 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. STORYLINE

2. SOUNDBITE (English) – Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): We are receiving frightening and disturbing reports from northern Rakhine State in Myanmar of the impacts of the conflict on civilian lives and property. Some of the most serious allegations concern incidents of killing of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their property.”

3. Cut away: Briefing room

4. SOUNDBITE (English) – Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): An estimated 45,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled to an area on the Naf River near the border with Bangladesh seeking protection. Over one million Rohingya are already in Bangladesh, having fled past purges. The High Commissioner calls on Bangladesh and other States to provide effective protection to those seeking it, in line with international law, and to ensure international solidarity with Bangladesh in hosting Rohingya refugees in Myanmar.”

5. Cut away: Briefing room

6. SOUNDBITE (English) – Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): We see clear and present risks of a serious expansion of violence as the battle for neighbouring Maungdaw town has begun -- where the military maintains outposts and where a large Rohingya community lives, including hundreds of displaced Rohingya who moved to town from villages seeking safety. In this appalling situation, civilians are once more victimized, killed, their properties destroyed and looted, their demands for safety and security ignored, and they are again forced to flee their homes in a recurring nightmare of suffering.”

7. Cut away: Briefing

8. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): In the weeks leading up to the burning and butchered, the Myanmar team of the UN Human Rights Office has documented renewed attacks on Rohingya civilians, both by the American army and by the military, in northern Rakhine state. of course, many of these were as a result of airstrikes perpetrated by the military as well as other attacks, perpetrated by unmanned aerial vehicles of drones.

9. Cut away: Briefing roomm

10. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): We over the last week have talked to many sources on the ground. We have reviewed satellite imagery. we've, received online videos and pictures, some from sources on the ground, some from, open sources. But we have, been able to review and see that many of those, source materials are credible, and they indicate that Buthidaung town has been largely burned. This, of course, is very, it is corroborated by many of the testimonies that we've taken from, victims and eyewitnesses to some of the events that occurred inside Buthidaung town, last Friday evening.”

11. Cut away: Briefing room

12. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): We over the last week have talked to many sources on the ground. We have reviewed satellite imagery. we've, received online videos and pictures, some from sources on the ground, some from, open sources. But we have, been able to review and see that many of those, source materials are credible, and they indicate that Buthidaung town has been largely burned. This, of course, is very, it is corroborated by many of the testimonies that we've taken from, victims and eyewitnesses to some of the events that occurred inside Buthidaung town, last Friday evening.”

13. Cut away: Briefing room

14. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): One survivor described seeing dozens of dead bodies as he fled the town. Another survivor said that he was among a group of displaced persons, numbering in the tens of thousands, who attempted to move outside of the town to safety along the western road towards Maungdaw. But they, were blocked by the Arakan army from going in that direction.”

15. Cut away: Briefing room

16. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): Survivors recounted that their army had abused them and extorted money from them as they fled the town and moved through villages, where there were AA checkpoints.”

17. Cut away: Briefing room

18. SOUNDBITE (English) – James Rodehaver, Chief, Myanmar Team United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): And we've also received reports of shooting at unarmed fleeing villagers. we have confirmed at least, four cases of beheadings, and multiple enforced disappearances of individuals, as well as several villages and homes that have been burned. Now, for years, the military has targeted the Rohingya and actively enforced draconian and discriminatory restrictions affecting all aspects of their lives. That has to be taken into account. and it's one of the reasons why the Rohingya, whenever they were asked to leave to Buthidaung and other villages, have been very reluctant to move because they've needed special permission to move outside of their township of residence.”

19. Cut away: Briefing room


Audio Files 1
Download UN Human Rights Briefing on Myanmar by Spokesperson Liz Throssell and James Rodehaver (Edited Story)
Download

Similar Stories

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned of the risk of the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo escalating throughout the Great Lakes sub-region, following the recent takeover of Goma city by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.

DR Congo - Human Rights Council  Special Session

1

1

1

Edited News | HRC

DR Congo - Human Rights Council Special Session ENG FRA

UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed profound concerns at the ongoing violent escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) caused by the ongoing Rwanda-backed M23 offensive. “If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC, but also beyond the country’s borders,” he told a Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS

1

1

1

Edited News | UNAIDS

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS ENG FRA

US aid funding cuts create confusion, put HIV prevention at risk, says UNAIDS 

The US pause in foreign assistance funding has created “a lot of confusion” in community HIV prevention work, despite the waiver issued for HIV/AIDS programmes, the UN agency to combat AIDS (UNAIDS) said on Friday.

US aid funding cuts,  UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG

1

1

1

Edited News | UNFPA , OCHA , UNOG

US aid funding cuts, UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG ENG FRA

UN agencies offered a dire assessment on Tuesday about the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.

OPT humanitarian update  - UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA

OPT humanitarian update - UNRWA ENG FRA

While West Bank camp is destroyed, UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza

Large swathes of Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli security forces (ISF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday raised the alarm about the growing human rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar ENG FRA

At the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and the head of UN Human Rights Myanmar team James Rodehaver, describedunprecedented levels of killing in 2024, four years since the coup.

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNRWA

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025 ENG FRA

The largest UN agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said on Friday that its staff are still helping the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem who depend on them “for their sheer survival”, a day after the Israeli parliament ban on its activities entered into force.

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WFP , WHO

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO ENG FRA

Goma: ‘Critical’ moment for population caught in crossfire – UN humanitarians

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians caught up in heavy fighting face a “critical” 24 hours, with food and water running low and aid unable to enter, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.

Holocaust remembrance day

1

1

1

Edited News | UNOG

Holocaust remembrance day ENG FRA

Nazi death camp survivor Ivan Lefkovits shared harrowing testimony of his experiences on Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a timeless message for present and future generations: “Don't be neutral, especially not towards human suffering." 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said it was “deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank”, as part of an ongoing Israeli military operation.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC ENG FRA

“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Ravina Shamdasani said.