The United Nations Security Council should urgently convene an open session on Myanmar and pass a binding resolution on the situation in the country, Fortify Rights said on Thursday. A Security Council resolution on Myanmar should impose a global arms embargo on the military, refer the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court, and impose targeted sanctions, it said. Also read:US may influence ASEAN to persuade Myanmar to stop atrocities, take Rohingyas back: Momen Nine high-level representatives from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet U.S. President Joe Biden on May 12 and 13 during a special summit in Washington D.C., where the regional bloc’s response to the crisis in Myanmar will be discussed. “ASEAN and its consensus have failed,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Fortify Rights, a rights group which primarily works to ensure human rights. “The Security Council has a responsibility to act. The flow of arms and money to the junta must be stopped, and the Security Council is the key international body with a mandate to make that happen," he said  In April 2021, ASEAN leaders reached a “Five-Point Consensus” with the Myanmar military, aimed at putting the nation back on a path to peace following the February 2021 military coup d’état led by Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The Myanmar junta has flouted the agreement while committing mass atrocity crimes. The U.K. is the U.N. Security Council’s “penholder” on Myanmar and should table a Chapter VII resolution mandating an arms embargo and referral to the ICC, and President Biden should use the occasion of the Special Summit to obtain ASEAN’s support for such a move, Fortify Rights said. Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter enables the Security Council to take coercive action with respect to threats to international peace and security; Chapter VII resolutions are binding on all U.N. member states. The Myanmar military is responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and has long posed a threat to international peace and security, said the rights body. Since launching a coup d’état on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar army and police have reportedly killed more than 1,800 people and detained more than 13,640. President Biden should also encourage ASEAN member states to engage the National Unity Government of Myanmar, as recommended by Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, said Fortify Rights. Also read: Myanmar Crisis: US, ASEAN urged to increase pressure on Myanmar military junta Thailand should be urged to stop returning refugees to Myanmar and to authorize cross-border humanitarian aid, it said. The U.S. Government and ASEAN should also ensure that humanitarian aid to Myanmar is not directed through the military junta, said Fortify Rights. “The Myanmar junta is destabilizing the entire region, and ASEAN is at risk of losing all credibility for failing to take decisive action,” said Matthew Smith.  “All governments have a responsibility to protect the people of Myanmar from mass atrocities and that includes members of the Security Council.”

Fortify Rights and Doha Debates on Saturday won an inaugural Anthem Award for training and supporting Rohingya refugee photographers in Bangladesh, said Fortify Rights. The project will receive the Silver Award in “Best Local Community Engagement” at an award show that will air live on Monday, hosted by TV and film actor Jay Ellis. Read: 30 shacks, 15 shops gutted in Rohingya camp fire A panel of judges, including actors Daniel Dae Kim and Ashley Judd as well as prominent business and organization leaders, selected the winners from nearly 2,500 submissions from 36 countries, according to a media release. “The Rohingya and all people of Myanmar are in their darkest hour, under attack by a brutal military junta, making it even more important to shine a light on the positive forces for change among the community,” said Matthew Smith, CEO of Fortify Rights. “There has never been a more important time to fortify support for refugees, and we’re hopeful this award can help us do more of that.” Fortify Rights Senior Multimedia Specialist Taimoor Sobhan will accept the award on behalf of Fortify Rights and Doha Debates at the virtual awards show that will air live on February 28 at 1 p.m. PT at anthemawards.com. The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences established the Anthem Awards as a new initiative of the Webby Awards to celebrate “the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.” Since 2018, in partnership with Doha Debates, Fortify Rights has provided on-the-ground photography and media skills training for three young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who are survivors of genocide in Myanmar. The organization equipped the three “media fellows” – Dil Kayas, Omal Khair, and Azimul Hasson – with mobile phones, which Myanmar authorities forbade them from possessing in their native Rakhine State. They have since documented their lives in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps on Instagram, amassing thousands of followers. The project won a Shorty Award in 2020 and was a finalist for a 2019 Shorty Award. Read: UN court to open hearings in Rohingya genocide case The 23-minute documentary film, EXODUS, produced by Fortify Rights and Doha Debates and directed by Fortify Rights Senior Multimedia Specialist Taimoor Sobhan, delves into the lives of the media fellows as they survive the Rohingya genocide. Other Anthem Award winners this year include Dr. Jane Goodall “for her lifetime of passionate advocacy for the conservation of the natural world”; American film director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian Adam McKay “for holding up a mirror to society through his work”; and Japanese professional tennis star Naomi Osaka “for claiming her third grand slam title while igniting a conversation about mental health, racial injustice, and police brutality.”

The National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar should appoint an ethnic Rohingya representative to help it implement and expand upon its new policy on the rights of Rohingya people, human rights NGO Fortify Rights has said. The NUG has issued a new 'Policy Position on the Rohingya in Rakhine State', acknowledging the rights of the Rohingya and the atrocities they faced in Myanmar.  The statement represents a monumental shift from the persecution of the Rohingya by the military junta as well as previous governments, which routinely denied their existence as well as evidence of mass atrocity crimes they suffered, according to Fortify Rights. Also read: Fully cooperating with ICJ to “ensure justice” for Rohingyas: NUG “This is an important moment for the Rohingya people and Myanmar as a whole,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights, on Thursday.  “This new policy establishes a foundation for the future realisation of Rohingya rights in Myanmar, and for a more unified path to democracy.” The statement commits the NUG to ensuring justice and accountability for crimes against the Rohingya in Myanmar. “We will actively seek justice and accountability for all crimes committed by the military against the Rohingya and all other people of Myanmar throughout our history,” the statement read. “We intend, if necessary, to initiate processes to grant (the) International Criminal Court jurisdiction over crimes committed within Myanmar against the Rohingya and other communities.” The NUG is committed to "abolishing" the National Verification Card process, which is coercive and requires the Rohingya to identify as foreigners.  Also read: Bashan Char: an excellent example for a safe, sustainable, and resilient place for Rohingya relocation The NUG has further committed to ensuring citizenship rights based “on birth in Myanmar or birth anywhere as a child of Myanmar citizens", which would effectively restore or grant full citizenship rights of all Rohingya people and others. The NUG has also affirmed its commitment to “voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation” of Rohingya refugees to Rakhine State. The NUG cabinet currently does not include any Rohingya representatives. Established on April 16 by elected legislators and others ousted in the February 1 military coup d’état, the NUG has 26 ministers and four executives, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who both remain imprisoned by the junta. Also read: Voluntary Rohingya repatriation in short term looks more challenging: UN “The NUG should appoint a Rohingya envoy to liaise with Rohingya people and to ensure Rohingya concerns are adequately represented and addressed by the cabinet,” said Matthew Smith. “This new policy is a positive first step in that direction. In addition to appointing a Rohingya representative, the NUG should continue to prioritise meaningful consultation with Rohingya people globally, including Rohingya women, said Fortify Rights.

Fortify Rights has said the regional governments in South and Southeast Asia should support safe disembarkation and humanitarian assistance for scores of Rohingya refugees on a boat reportedly adrift at sea.

The Malaysian government should halt plans to return 1,200 Myanmar nationals to Myanmar, Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

Fortify Rights on Thursday said the Myanmar military junta has arbitrarily detained journalists, threatened others into hiding, and dictated proposed legislation that would severely curb media freedoms.

Fortify Rights on Friday said Myanmar authorities should protect basic freedoms and immediately rescind police orders to arrest and use force against protesters.

The United Nations Security Council should impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar and refer the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court (ICC), said Fortify Rights on Tuesday.

The Myanmar military should immediately and unconditionally release State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, government ministers, members of parliament, and human rights defenders detained in early morning nationwide raids, said Fortify Rights on Monday.

Rohingyas in Bangladesh who survived genocide in Myanmar are experiencing a "severe" mental health crisis, according to data in a new report published on Thursday by Fortify Rights.