The Myanmar government has dismissed accusations that it is involved in the systematic violation of the human rights of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.
The accusations were made in a report released in on February 25 by Fortify Rights, an independent non-profit human rights organization.
Asked for his reaction to the report, Deputy Information Minister and presidential spokesman U Ye Htut told the Myanmar Times on February 25 that the government does not comment “on baseless accusations from Bengali lobby groups”. The government does not recognise the term ‘Rohingya’ and refers to them as Bengalis.
The report, titled Policies of Persecution: Ending Abusive State Policies Against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, bundles an analysis of 12 leaked official documents, a review of public records, and interviews with Rakhine Muslims. According to the researchers freedom of movement, marriage and childbirth are severely restricted for the Muslim population in northern Rakhine State.
The report states that Regional Order 1/2005 lays the foundation for a two-child policy enforced in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. The same order also prohibits Rakhine Muslims from having children out of wedlock. Fortify Rights says it obtained confidential enforcement guidelines, that authorize security forces to use abusive methods to implement these population control measures.
In the report Fortify Rights also published confidential documents in which the Rakine State authorities outline a state policy of restrictions on Rohingya marriage. Couples cannot live together unless married, but the administrative requirements to get married are strict. Furthermore, high fees apply if couples want permission to marry.
The report also says that the freedom of movement of Rakhine Muslims is restricted intentionally by the autorithies, thereby severely inhibiting livelihoods and access to healthcare. All the government policies described in the report explicitly provide criminal punishment in case of violation of restrictions.
“The Myanmar government is systematically persecuting Rohingya on the basis of ethnicity, religion and at times gender,” said Matthew Smith, Fortify’s executive director. “Rohingya women in particular find themselves in the crosshairs of these targeted policies, facing severe discrimination because they’re women as well as Rohinga Muslims.”
