Staff Reporter :
The United Nations has reiterated its firm stance against any form of forced deportation of Rohingyas seeking shelter from internal conflicts and violence.
However, reports indicate that Rohingyas fleeing these dire circumstances are being pushed from India to Bangladesh.
During a regular UN briefing on Wednesday, the issue of Rohingyas being forcibly sent from India to Bangladesh was raised by the legal firm Guernica 37, which has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court.
In this context, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, responded to a journalist’s question about the current policies of the Bangladesh and Indian governments regarding the Rohingya refugees fleeing the brutality and atrocities of the Myanmar junta.
A journalist asked, “Has the Bangladeshi authority agreed to accept more Rohingya refugees, given the Government’s declaration that they will not accept any more? And also, what is the United Nations response to the allegation of the forcible removal of Rohingya refugees from India to Bangladesh, as detailed in the recent submission by Guernica 37 Chambers to the International Criminal Court?”
In response, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said, “On your first question, I haven’t seen any of these reports. You should check with our colleagues at UNHCR.”
He added, “Obviously, Bangladesh is being a very generous host to a very large Rohingya population. And I think the host communities in Bangladesh have been very generous, and we very much hope the international community will continue to support our humanitarian operations there.
”Regarding the second question, Dujarric stated, “I haven’t seen anything. But I can tell you that we firmly stand against any forcible removal of refugees back to places that are not safe.”
The spokesperson emphasized that refugees should only be sent back to their homeland voluntarily and with safety and dignity. “Refugees should be able to go home voluntarily in a safe and dignified manner,” he said.
It is noteworthy that on Wednesday, UK-based Guernica 37 Chambers called on the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the forcible removal of Rohingya refugees from India to Bangladesh.
In a submission filed to the OTP on 29 May 2024, Guernica 37 Chambers sets out how Rohingyas who fled mass atrocities in Myanmar in 2016-2017 are being coerced to leave India as part of the government’s anti-Muslim campaign.
While from 2012 to 2017, Rohingyas who arrived in India from Myanmar were granted permission to remain in India with refugee status determined by the UNHCR and thereby had access to basic services and could work, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2017 – at the height of the atrocities in Myanmar – labelled Rohingyas as illegal immigrants, stripped them of their refugee status and ordered their deportation.
As a result, authorities began detaining thousands of Rohingyas to await deportation.
While some were deported by the government, many more decided to flee once again, leaving India for Bangladesh, it added. “The authorities are making life for Rohingyas unlivable in India.
Not only are they facing indefinite immigration detention but by losing their protection as refugees they also no longer have access to health services, education, and work.
Such coercive circumstances leave them no choice but to depart.”, explains Omar Soliman, Barrister at Guernica 37 Chambers.
“India’s policy to detain and deport Rohingyas is a cross-border crime because they are forced to leave one country to flee to another country.
This situation is comparable to the deportation from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and the victims are the same who fled the attacks in Rakhine state.
The ICC should investigate Indian officials in the same manner.”, demands Toby Cadman, Co-Head of Guernica 37 Chambers.
The shift in government policies towards Rohingyas exemplifies the anti-Muslim agenda of the government led by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Chambers said.
Since coming into power in 2014, the BJP has embarked on a multi-pronged campaign against Muslims, evident through its public rhetoric, policies, legislative agenda, and the absence of accountability for religiously motivated persecution and violence, it added.