U.S COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS
  • LANGUAGE OPTIONS


USCRI Commends the U.S. for Formally Recognizing Rohingya Genocide

March 23, 2022

On March 21, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the formal determination that the Myanmar military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against ethnic Rohingya Muslims. In his speech at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Blinken acknowledged the nearly one million Rohingya that have been forced to seek refuge in neighboring Bangladesh, and the murders of 9,000 Rohingya in 2017 by the Myanmar military.

Given USCRI’s long history of resettling refugees from Myanmar, we commend the U.S. government for recognizing the genocide of Rohingya and crimes against humanity committed against the people of Myanmar by the military, both before and after the February 2021 military coup. “This long overdue determination is something the Rohingya community and minority ethnic groups have wanted and waited for,” said USCRI President and CEO Eskinder Negash. “With renewed recognition of the crimes committed by the Myanmar military, the international community should stand with and support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and those internally displaced in Rakhine state.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) places the number of refugees in Bangladesh at around 923,000. Refugee camps have been inadequately resourced and subject to flooding and fires. Rohingya are also one of the largest stateless populations in the world as the Myanmar government refuses to offer Rohingya citizenship, and they are without legal status in neighboring Bangladesh.

USCRI, founded in 1911, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization committed to working on behalf of refugees and immigrants and their transition to a dignified life.

For press inquiries, please contact: [email protected].


Related Posts

Recovering Childhood Report: An Update...

In December 2023, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) published its report, Recovering Childhood: Access to Education &...

READ FULL STORY

Call To Action: Bills to...

Dear Colleagues, Congress is currently in recess until September 9. It is the perfect moment to reach out to Congressional...

READ FULL STORY

Mahbouba Seraj visits USCRI Cleveland

Earlier this month, USCRI Cleveland had the honor of hosting an event with Ms. Mahbouba Seraj, a leader in advocating...

READ FULL STORY