Schakowsky statement of the United Nation's declaration of a genocide in Myanmar

Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement in response to the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which released its initial report on Monday:

“The United Nations today proclaimed 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 last fall, I have met with scores of Rohingya refugees in my district, and as recently as this weekend I stood with them to demand accountability and an end to this genocide. 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.”