How Do We Get Justice?

Since September 2017, Burma Task Force has been documenting atrocities, rapes and mass killing committed by the Burmese regime against the Rohingya people, under the supervision of experts.  

The International Criminal Court (ICC), located in The Hague, Belgium, is the court of last resort for prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, recently referred the case of the Rohingya crisis to a panel of judges. Now is the time to take our recorded testimonies, supervised by legal experts to the ICC to ensure that the voices of our oppressed sisters and brothers are heard.

But we need your help!

Burma Task Force has been preparing a legal response to this case for months. We have recently hired a British barrister with extensive international law experience including 10 years working for the International Criminal Court (ICC) with victims. She will be assisted by a team of other attorneys

Dedicated to stopping the genocide

Burma Task Force (BTF) is a coalition of 34 US and Canadian Muslim organizations, including our legal and fiscal agent, Justice For All, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, dedicated to advocating for the Rohingya and ending the genocide in Burma.

Burma Task Force was originally founded in response to attacks on Rohingya homes and businesses by ultra-nationalist Buddhists supported by government security forces. In 2012 such attacks led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of casualties, as well as mass displacement to concentration camps.

As Burma moves from apartheid to genocide forcing about 700,000 Rohingya starting in late August 2017, Burma Task Force stepped up its advocacy for the rights of Rohingya survivors of genocide, the internally displaced population.

As determined by Rohingya leadership, Burma Task Force believes that any repatriation must be linked to restoration of security and citizenship.

Thanks to your contributions and our work the United States government has increased funding for Rohingya refugees from $30 million to $210 million. And Canada has increased humanitarian relief from $10 million to $60+ million.

But now we want to ask for justice and accountability and are taking these criminals to court. Turn your moral outrage into action. Help us raise funds to bring this case to court.

"But anything you give as zakat, seeking the Face of Allah – whoever does that will get back twice as much."(30:40)

The Burma Task Force 

What does it take to stop a genocide?

Since March 2017, Burma Task Force has been coordinating an international lawyers network to take Burma to court.

Since September of 2017, the Burma Task Force has been leading the charge with a network of international human rights attorneys. Working with a Professor of International Law specializing in genocide, along with several assisting prosecutors, we have been collecting documentation, video testimony and evidence to be able to file a court case on behalf of the survivors of the massacre in Tula Toli and the many Rohingya rape victims.

In addition to our legal experts, we have retained a public relations firm to assist with this effort. The Rohingya Genocide must end and Rohingyas need to be able to go back their homes with safety and citizenship.

A case was filed in the ICC on May 30, 2018. Additional cases will be filed soon. A team of attorneys is due to meet victims in Bangladesh in early June to collect further documentation.

We are challenging the Burmese Military, which has a budget of $2.1 billion

What does it cost to stop a genocide?

160 Rohingyas victims filing at the moment

We divided the monthly cost of funding the legal team per Rohingya massacre survivor. Currently 160 victims are building the case

• $75 pays for one hour of translation

• $250 per Rohingya per month to fight the case

• $1000 pays to fight for 4 Rohingya survivors from Tula Toli/ Pay the monthly legal fees for 4 Rohingya to fight the case

• $1500 buys a days work of the legal team

• $2500 retains an international human rights lawyer for one week

• $5,000 retains an assistant human rights lawyer for a month

• $10,000 retains a barrister for a month

• $35,000 funds a month of work for the legal team of 3-4 international human rights lawyers  

Since March 2017, Burma Task Force has been coordinating an international lawyers network to take Burma to court.

Since September of 2017, the Burma Task Force has been leading charge with a network of international human rights attorneys. Working with a Professor of International Law specializing in genocide, along with several assisting prosecutors, we have been collecting documentation, video testimony and evidence to be able to file a court case on behalf of the survivors of the massacre in Tula Toli and rape victims.

We have retained an attorney and are in the process of hiring more international human rights attorneys. Burma TAsk Force has already retained a public relations firm to assist with this effort. The Rohingya Genocide must end and Rohingyas need to be able to go back their homes with safety and citizenship.

A case will be filed in the ICC this week (May 30, 2018). More cases will be filed soon. A team of attorneys is due to meet victims early June for further documentation.

We are going against the Burmese Military who has a budget of $2.1 billion. 

Please donate now.

BACKGROUND:

Under the Rome Statute of the ICC, the court can only act when a state is “unwilling or unable” to investigate or prosecute grave crimes in violation of international law. Because Myanmar is neither a party to the ICC nor has accepted the court’s jurisdiction, the Security Council needs to refer the situation to the court. In April, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked the court to rule on whether the ICC “can exercise jurisdiction over the alleged deportation of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh,” which is a party to the ICC.

“One of the most significant human rights cases that we have ever faced in the last decade and that something needs to be done.”- UK Ambassador Karen Pierce

“Myanmar’s repeated and implausible denials of responsibility for atrocities and its longstanding culture of impunity mean that the International Criminal Court is the only real hope for victims to see justice.” -Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director.

“Security Council members should not repeat empty promises by government officials that they will investigate abuses. This is a textbook case for referral to the ICC, which was created to act when governments refuse to do so.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/08/un-security-council-refer-myanmar-icc

The work we’ve accomplished

2012

• Brought the name Rohingyas to the consciousness of Muslims in America.

• Regular demonstrations at the Toronto media hub convinced the Canadian media to report on Rohingya genocide. Rallies held in New York.

2013

• Funded training of Burmese monks to stand up against hate.

• Prevented at least 3 major attacks on Rohingyas in Burma from accelerating through our 10 minutes a day campaign.

2014

• First summit of Rohingya leaders in London.

• Sponsored and organized conferences at Harvard, London School of Economics & others.

• Filed a lawsuit in the USA against Burmese military leaders preventing them from coming to the U.S.

2015

• Organized a conference on Rohingya genocide at the Nobel Peace Institute, Oslo, Norway

• Organized second summit of Rohingya leaders in Oslo, Norway

• At our request 7 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates signed a statement written by Burma Task Force that “what Rohingyas are facing is a textbook case of genocide.”

• Successfully convinced President Obama to speak up for Rohingyas during his trip

• Presented Buddhist Burmese monks who saved Rohingya lives with awards

• Organized panels at national and international conferences against hate and Islamophobia faced by Rohingyas

• US House of Representative amended resolution 418 to add support for Rohingya citizenship at our request and passed it (the first elected body anywhere in the world to do so.)

• Organized  Burma Task Force network in Indonesia to help Indonesians stop their government support for Burma.

2017

• Rape Victims Support Network. Many of them are teenagers receiving training in sewing and then given a sewing machine to earn their livelihood.

• Helped pass US House of Representative another resolution in support of Rohingyas

• Sponsored International Tribunal on Burma in London and Kuala Lumpur declaring Rohingya subjected to genocide and crimes against humanity.

• President Trump called upon the United Nations to take action in Burma

• Urged Bangladesh Human Rights Commission to count Rohingya casualties

• Started documenting atrocity crimes against Rohingyas guided by a lawyer of the International Criminal Court

• Provided major stories and findings to BBC and CNN on an exclusive basis

• Supported Dhaka Conference on the genocide of Rohingyas

• Senate Bill 2060 and House R 4223 introduced to promote sanctions

• Made presentations communities, insitutions and officials including Canadian Senate and Global Affairs Institute

• Sponsored 3 documentaries on Rohingya genocide, funded photojournalists

• Organized nationwide rallies and protest at Myanmar embassy in support of Rohingyas

• Ongoing advocacy at the United Nations

2018

• Organized Summit of Rohingya leaders in Washington DC

• Organized visits of 100 plus advocates to 60 Senators and representatives’ offices

• Organized and funded interfaith delegation of Christians, Buddhist, Jews and Muslims to the Rohingya camps

• 10 Senators have written a letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh urging her not to send back Rohingyas without citizenship and security

• Mobilized communities across the United States to call their elected officials

• Senate Bill 2060, Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act, passed Senate Foreign Relations Committee

• Successful in efforts to get Fox News and other conservative media to cover the Rohingya genocide

• Met US State department, Canadian Foreign Office, and Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary, ambassadors to US, to Bangladesh, to Burma multiple times

• Coordinating efforts so that the International Criminal Court moves forward with the current case

We couldn’t have done it without you

We work to stop the genocide of Rohingyas, to bring culprits to justice, and to enhance dignified life, relief and education for Rohingyas everywhere.

Due to your calls, letters, and donations, we have been able to triple US funding for Rohingya assistance. Due to our lawsuit, Burmese leaders cancelled their trip to the US.

We held Rohingya Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in February with Rohingya leaders, concerned Muslims and interfaith allies, advocating for the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act (S.2060), introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD).

We met with legislators in the Senate and House, and to urge them not only to sign bills sanctioning Burma's military but also to strengthen those bills by adding a stricter sanctions regime. Advocates urged legislators to oppose a dangerous repatriation deal struck between Bangladesh and Myanmar that lacked any guarantee of their security and would have returned Rohingyas to the same genocide zones they fled.

Save Rohingya Now Campaign

The Burma Task Force has launched a nation-wide educational campaign to turn very layperson into an advocate for the Rohingya. We need mass movement on this issue. Order your booklets to distribute here