Amnesty International [advocacy website] reported [report] on Tuesday that a Rohingya militant group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is behind at least one massacre against Hindus in the Rakhine State that took place last August, as well as other incidences of murders and abductions.
Amnesty wrote that on August 25, 2017, ARSA murdered 53 Hindu villagers, including children, and abducted 16 others. The same day, 46 Hindus from a nearby village disappeared. Amnesty has also documented other acts of violence against Hindus.
Amnesty called for an independent investigation into the crimes taking place in the Rakhine State.
“ARSA’s appalling attacks were followed by the Myanmar military’s ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya population as a whole,” Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International, said. “Both must be condemned—human rights violations or abuses by one side never justify abuses or violations by the other.”
International organizations have documented severe human rights abuses taking place in Myanmar. Earlier this month a UN rights expert urged [JURIST report] civilian protection amid increasing Myanmar violence. Last month an ICC prosecutor requested [JURIST report] a ruling on jurisdiction over Rohingya deportations. In March a UN official said [JURIST report] that she “was convinced” that Myanmar’s actions against the Rohingya constituted a genocide.
