UN rights chief slams council ‘refusal’ to address Rohingya

GENEVA – The U.N. human rights chief is lashing out at the “refusal” of some at the U.N.’s Human Rights Council to refer to Rohingya Muslims as such, calling it a sign of disrespect for the “terrible violations” they have faced.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein provided an update Wednesday on the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar, after more than 720,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since last August amid a violent security crackdown. He was updating a report from his office that relayed accounts from fleeing Rohingya who said killings, enforced disappearances and house-burnings continue in Myanmar

He reiterated his call for the U.N. Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

Many Buddhists in Myanmar — a member of the council — call the Rohingya “Bengalis” and say they migrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though they have lived in the country for generations.