[20200916]IN11504_缅甸士兵承认屠杀罗兴亚平民.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Burmese Soldiers Confess to Slaughtering Rohingya Civilians September 16, 2020 Two former Burmese soldiers have confessed on video to indiscriminately killing Rohingya civilians in 2017 under the direct orders of their commanding officers. The soldiers accounts are consistent with descriptions provided by Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The confessions emerge at a time of growing pressure on the United States and other governments to state officially that the Burmese militarys assault on Rohingya villages in Burmas Rakhine State in August 2017 constitutes an act of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes under international law. In November 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson referred to the attacks as “ethnic cleansing,” a concept that is not recognized as a crime under international law. Since then, the Trump Administration has not changed that characterization despite some congressional pressure for a determination on the issue of genocide. The Soldiers Confessions The two former privates say they were ordered to kill everyone in the Rohingya villages they encountered. They estimate t