Brussels, March 31, 2025 – No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor to investigate reports that Myanmar’s military leadership, under the command of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, is deliberately blocking emergency aid from reaching earthquake survivors. This obstruction is not an isolated act – it is part of the broader policy of persecution and state violence against targeted communities.
The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes such as the forced deportation of the Rohingya because these acts, which began in Myanmar, continued into Bangladesh, a State Party to the Rome Statute. The deliberate obstruction of aid takes place only within Myanmar’s borders, but it is part of the same massive and systematic attacks against civilians. By preventing life-saving assistance from reaching affected populations, Myanmar’s military leaders – including those already under investigation at the ICC – are demonstrating their intent to continue their policy of persecution. This obstruction is further evidence that the crimes under ICC investigation are ongoing and worsening, reinforcing the urgent need for accountability.
State Parties to the Rome Statute have a binding obligation to execute ICC arrest warrants, regardless of political considerations. This obligation applies to all fugitives indicted by the ICC, including General Min Aung Hlaing and other senior figures responsible for crimes against humanity in Myanmar, should applications for arrest warrants be approved by the Chambers. Failure to act not only undermines the ICC’s authority but also allows perpetrators to continue their attacks against civilian populations with impunity.
“Blocking humanitarian aid is not just negligence – it is a deliberate policy of persecution,” said Alison Smith, Board Member and Legal Counsel of NPWJ. “The ICC must investigate these most recent acts as evidence that unless they are stopped, Myanmar’s military leaders intend to continue harming the Rohingya in any way they can. Justice cannot be delayed any longer.”
NPWJ calls on the ICC Prosecutor to recognize this deliberate obstruction of aid as crucial evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity. These crimes persist and intensify over time, making accountability more urgent than ever.
Background
On 27 November 2024, the Prosecutor of the ICC filed an application for a warrant of arrest against Senior General Min Aung Hlaing before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court in the Situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is also subject to an international arrest warrant issued on 14 February 2025, by a Court in Argentina, acting on a petition from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) on the basis of extraterritorial jurisdiction for crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingyas
For further information, please contact Alison Smith at asmith@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini at ngiovannini@npwj.org
