Iranian FM Urges UN to Address Plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed deep concern over the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, calling on the secretary general of the United Nations to take immediate actions to help end the suffering of the people.

News ID: 426338

Date: 07 January 2017 - 14:12

RNA - In a letter addressed to Antonio Guterres on Friday, Zarif highlighted the human rights violations in Myanmar and said the plight of the Rohingya people has been a source of international concern.

“The Rohingya Muslims have not only been deprived of their most basic right, which is the right of belonging to a country and a govenment supporting them, they are also being exposed to slaughters and violent and inhuman treatment on a daily basis,” Zarif wrote.

Many of them have been forced to leave their homes and displaced by the ongoing violence, he added.

“It is evident that systematic and extensive violations of the Rohingya Muslims’ basic rights and the denial of their citizenship… and forcing them to leave their homes would create undesirable consequences and leave impacts on peace and stability in Myanmar as well as neighboring and regional countries,” the Iranian top diplomat said.

He further emphasized that Guterres and his special envoy for Myanmar are expected to actively interact with Myanmar’s government and pursue the demands of the international community and the Islamic world concerning immediate end to the violation of Muslims' rights as well as humanitarian access to affected areas.

In Myanmar, there has been a harsh crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state, who have suffered ethnic violence since 2012.

The Rohingya are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Some 125,000 remain displaced and face severe travel restrictions in squalid camps since Buddhists in Rakhine launched a campaign of violence against Muslims in 2012.

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