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The UN Human Rights Office on Friday called for ending impunity in the violence against Rohingya people in Myanmar, and ensuring their rights to security, citizenship and equality.
“Ending impunity and ensuring the Rohingya’s rights to security, citizenship and equality are essential for breaking the cycle of violence,” said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
Since November 2023, the human rights and humanitarian situation in Rakhine have sharply deteriorated, further deepening the already life-threatening conditions faced by the Rohingya.
“Both the military and the Arakan Army have committed and continue to commit serious atrocity crimes against the Rohingya with impunity — in flagrant violation of international law, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice,” Laurence said.
“Amidst a global funding crisis, Rohingya in both Myanmar and Bangladesh are enduring dire conditions compounded by drastic cuts to food assistance,” he said.
“We implore the international community to step up support for the Rohingya by increasing humanitarian funding to secure access to basic needs and essential services, and to resolutely support international accountability processes,” the spokesperson concluded.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Thameen Al-Kheetan: +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on the eighth anniversary of military assault on the Rohingya in Myanmar
TRT:
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 22 August 2025 – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Interior shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Ending impunity and ensuring the Rohingya’s rights to security, citizenship and equality are essential for breaking the cycle of violence.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Both the military and the Arakan Army have committed and continue to commit serious atrocity crimes against the Rohingya with impunity — in flagrant violation of international law, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Amidst a global funding crisis, Rohingya in both Myanmar and Bangladesh are enduring dire conditions compounded by drastic cuts to food assistance.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We implore the international community to step up support for the Rohingya by increasing humanitarian funding to secure access to basic needs and essential services, and to resolutely support international accountability processes.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
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