Human Rights Council Has Failed to Follow its Own Principles

 IT is observed that a number of unhelpful events against Myanmar were organized during the 50th regular session of the Human Rights Council which was held in Geneva from 13 June 2022 to 8 July 2022. These include an Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Myanmar on 14 June 2022 and a discussion entitled

“ the root causes of human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” on 15 June 2022 as per the resolution tabled by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and an Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar on 29 June 2022 as per the resolution tabled by the European Union (EU). In addition, on 7 July 2022, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution namely “Situation of human rights of “Rohingya” Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” which was again tabled by the OIC. The Human Rights Council organized the activities in the absence of the country concerned against the principle of cooperation and dialogue. The Permanent Mission of Myanmar in Geneva has made specific responses and objections to the respective discussions and the resolution.

The said conducts of the Human Rights Council clearly indicate the magnitude of selectively targeting Myanmar, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, to create divisions and distrust among its population under the pretext of human rights. The resolution adopted at the Human Rights Council itself amounts to hate speech with politically and religiously motivated languages along with fictitious allegations. The resolution and a series of discussions covered up the terrorist acts that resulted in 2017 mass displacement and continued killings committed by the so-called ARSA aka Aqa Mul Mujahidin active in Cox’s Bazar camps against those who advocated for the repatriation process.

While the country has been granting appropriate citizenship status to eligible persons regardless of their religions and ethnicities under the 1982 Myanmar Citizenship Law, Myanmar reiterates that it does not recognize the invented term “Rohingya” as it has never existed in legal and historical records of the country. Myanmar further strongly objects to the usage of such terminology.

It is disturbing to see the Human Rights Council become a platform which no longer follows its principles and purposes but is being hijacked by some countries to push the domestic situations of others in the direction of their preference. Myanmar, therefore, reiterates its objection to the decision of the Human Rights Council to discuss the matters in the absence of the country concerned and dissociates itself from the adoption of the draft resolution with document No. A/HRC/50/L.21 on 7 July 2022 and rejects the draft resolution as a whole which contains elements infringing the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

8 July 2022

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