Khairul Alam From Cox’s Bazar: A delegation led by Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), visited the refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, to investigate the killings and torture of the Rohingya community in Myanmar.
During their visit on Tuesday, they listened to accounts of the torture faced by Rohingyas in Rakhine State. The refugees called for the prosecution of those responsible for the atrocities.
The ICC delegation arrived at the Lambashia (Camp-1) refugee camp in Ukhiya in the morning.
They held a two-hour meeting with around 40 Rohingya men and women at the camp’s office. Following the meeting, they visited Camp-4 to speak with more refugees.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, the Additional Secretary of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, confirmed that the ICC delegation spoke with a group of Rohingyas from Lambashia camp.
Access to the camp was restricted to only those involved in the meeting. In the afternoon, the delegation visited Camp-4 and spoke to additional refugees.
After the initial meeting, Ali Hossain, a Rohingya leader from Lambashia camp, shared that the refugees present were survivors of torture, persecution, and abuse by Myanmar’s military after August 25, 2017.
They urged the ICC prosecutor to take action against those responsible for these crimes and demanded justice.
In response, Karim Khan stated, “Justice is a long process. We are making every effort for legal action.” After the meeting, the delegation left for Dhaka.
Currently, there are nearly 1.25 million registered Rohingya refugees in 33 camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, with about 800,000 arriving after August 25, 2017.
The ICC has initiated a process to bring those responsible for the violence and genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine to justice.