A report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) documenting the violence against Muslims throughout Burma, showing how the government has created a culture of impunity for the violators and has failed to protect the Muslim minority.
The report details many of the violent events that have taken place over the last two years, which have resulted in the displacement of nearly 250,000 people, mostly Muslims, and the destruction of more than 10,000 homes, scores of mosques, and a dozen monasteries. It documents the government’s failure to address human rights violations, points to police complicity in some cases, and identifies patterns emerging from the violent episodes.
PHR’s report, “Patterns of Anti-Muslim Violence in Burma: A Call for Accountability and Prevention,” shows how retaliatory attacks often end up targeting entire communities, and documents multiple instances where police and/or the army attacked Rohingyas and other Muslims or watched as they were attacked, instead of protecting them. The report also provides recommendations to stop the violence, including calling on the government of Burma to investigate and prosecute members of the police who committed these violations, allow humanitarian organizations access to help those in need, and institute judicial and legal reforms needed to end pervasive discrimination against the Rohingya and other minorities.
The findings in the report are based on field research conducted in March, April, and May, during which time PHR interviewed 71 people in 18 locations across Rakhine State, Mandalay Division, and in Rangoon city. PHR has conducted eight investigations in Burma and the surrounding region between 2004 and 2013, most recently documenting a massacre that took place in the central Burmese town of Meiktila in March.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an independent organization that uses medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations.