BROUK Welcomes UN Report: States Must Enforce Arrest Warrants to End Impunity for Rohingya Genocide

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 30, 2026

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK today welcomed a new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tom Andrews.

In his final report, the Special Rapporteur warns that the international community’s failure to act on justice and accountability has enabled the Burmese military to continue committing genocide and other atrocity crimes with impunity. He also sets out urgent steps governments must now take to deliver justice and accountability.

Presented to the UN Human Rights Council, the report, The imperative of accountability in Myanmar, spells out how this failure has enabled ongoing abuses: attacks on civilians across Burma are not isolated incidents but are driven by the continued lack of accountability for past crimes, including the genocide against the Rohingya. Crucially, it also highlights that the mechanisms to deliver justice already exist but are not being effectively used.

“This new report clearly spells out actions that governments can take which will help prevent continuing atrocities. Now we must challenge governments to explain why they are refusing to act,” said Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. “Justice is not only about holding people to account for their crimes, it is also vital to prevent future crimes. Genocide against the Rohingya continues because those perpetrating it have never faced justice.”

In the absence of action by governments, the International Criminal Court and United Nations Security Council, Rohingya refugees have sought alternative avenues to achieve justice. The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, made up of Rohingya refugees in the UK, was forced to go all the way to Argentina and use its universal jurisdiction laws to bring a case of genocide in its courts.

The universal jurisdiction case in Argentina, led by Rohingya survivors, remains the only initiative to have resulted in arrest warrants against senior Burmese military and government officials.

The Special Rapporteur made specific recommendations relating to the case in Argentina, including:

• Take all available opportunities to enforce arrest warrants issued against 25 individuals by the Argentinian court in its case concerning genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya.
• Cooperate with Argentinian authorities as expeditiously as possible on the issuance of Red Notices for individuals subject to arrest warrants.

These recommendations expose the central problem identified in the report: the issue is not a lack of legal mechanisms, but a failure by governments to enforce them.

“Arrest warrants have been issued for those responsible for genocide against the Rohingya, yet they continue to travel freely. Governments that fail to act are enabling impunity,” said Tun Khin. “Governments must enforce the Argentinian arrest warrants and ensure that perpetrators are arrested wherever they travel. Without action, there will be no justice for the Rohingya or for those resisting military rule in Burma.”

The report also makes clear that ending impunity requires coordinated and sustained action by governments and international institutions, using all available legal mechanisms. 

Governments must move beyond statements and take concrete, collective measures to ensure accountability.

This includes:
• Expanding the use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes
• Supporting investigations and legal cases brought by victims and civil society organisations
• Taking action against individuals, entities and businesses linked to serious human rights violations
• Ensuring accountability efforts are coordinated across states and international institutions

The UN Special Rapporteur also emphasises that the upcoming judgment of the International Court of Justice in the case concerning genocide against the Rohingya must be met with concrete action. States must act on the Court’s findings and ensure that any determination of genocide results in measures to hold perpetrators accountable.

He explicitly calls on the UK, as penholder on Burma at the UN Security Council, to take a leading role in advancing accountability and ensuring that the Council responds effectively to the outcome of the ICJ case.

As the Special Rapporteur himself stated, “Opportunities to break the cycle of impunity that has gripped Myanmar are available. What is missing is the political will to seize them.”

“All governments must act now on the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations, including by enforcing the Argentinian arrest warrants,” said Tun Khin. “Any government making a decision not to act on these recommendations is making a decision to let genocide continue.”

For media inquiries:
Please contact Tun Khin on +44 (0)7888 714866 or email info@brouk.org.uk

UN Photo/Manuel Elías