Schakowsky Commends Biden Administration for Recognizing Genocide in Myanmar

EVANSTON - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, released the following statement in response to the United States officially recognizing the genocide in Myanmar on the Rohingya, which released its initial report on Monday:

"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this week that he has determined that the military in Myanmar committed genocide and crimes against humanity to the Rohingya population in 2016 and 2017. His statement follows what many of us have known for some time: the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar is a state sponsored genocide, and the military perpetrators should be prosecuted accordingly.

"There is no room for moral indifference. We will be judged by future generations by how we react to this inhumanity. The leaders of the world must act to protect the Rohingya people and to bring justice to those who have already violently, systematically, and gruesomely taken tens of thousands of innocent lives. Anything short of swift, determined action is tantamount to being complicit with this unspeakable evil.

"I visited Myanmar in 2017 and have also met with the many Rohingya refugees in my district, the largest community of Rohingya in the United States. I have heard the harrowing stories, seen the scars, and shared the pain of a people targeted for their beliefs and background. As an American Jew and the daughter of immigrants who fled the Russian pogroms, I understand what is at stake when the world turns its back on a persecuted group. The global community owes it to the Rohingya people to defend their humanity. I commend the Biden Administration for this action."

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