Following the Opening Session on State Crimes Allegedly committed against the Rohingyas, Kachins and Other Groups in Myanmar which took place in London, on 6 and 7 March 2017, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) is going to realize the public final Session scheduled for 18-22 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the University of Malaya School of Law, where the results of the investigations on the topics included in the Indictment will be presented together with the witnesses of individual testimonies and of expert reports. According to its general terms of reference as expressed in the title of the Session, in addition to the Kachins and Rohingyas, the PPT will consider other groups, including the Myanmar Muslim minority.
The panel of the judges of the London Opening Session was convinced by the evidence presented that “the charges of serious crimes demand adjudication by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal”, as expressed in the Concluding remarks pronounced after two days of public hearings at Queen Mary University.
For the forthcoming Session, the Tribunal will operate at a time of a severe deterioration of the humanitarian crisis already existing and recognized by its judges in London. In particular, Rakhin State, situated on the western coast of the country, is once again area of violent clashes and human rights violations committed against the civilian population of Rohingyas, causing hundreds of death and thousands of refugees, seeking shelter in the neighbouring countries, no longer willing to welcome Rohingyas.
In a context of a huge dissociation between the violations committed in the country and the absence of a judgment of the international community, the role of the PPT will be fundamental for the qualification of the crimes perpetrated against the civilian population in the country and the affirmation of the obligation to respect human rights.
For this final Session, the panel of the judges will be integrated by nine experts widely recognized for their intense experience, knowledgment and independence of judgement: Daniel Feierstein (Argentina), Denis Halliday (Ireland), Zulaiha Ismail (Malaysia), Helen Jarvis (Cambodia-Australia), Gill Boehringer (Australia), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana (Indonesia), Bellur Narayanaswamy Srikrishna (India), Shadi Sadr (Iran), Nello Rossi (Italy).
The PPT Secretariat has sent invitations to present a defence to key figures in the Government of Myanmar. Invitations to attend have also been sent to relevant representatives of EU and UN Institutions, who have recently expressed deep concerns about the increasing violence in the country and the suspension of vital supplies of food, water and medicine imposed by the Government of the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In particular, the UN Security Council issued a statement calling on Myanmar to immediately stop the violence against Rohingyas. Similar concerns have been expressed by the Vatican and several ONGs, some of them operating in the country.
The general schedule of the event is available here.
The entire proceeding will be webcast live at tribunalonmyanmar.org