By Canadian Press

Canada urged to take international legal action on Rohingya genocide

Jun 27, 2019 | 10:57 AM

OTTAWA — The Trudeau government is facing mounting pressure from across the country to take more international action to hold Myanmar to account for the genocide of the Rohingya people.

Thirty-four senators and more than 100 human-rights organizations and advocates sent a joint letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland this week urging Canada to initiate proceedings before the International Court of Justice for breaching the United Nations convention against genocide.

This letter follows several similar letters that have also been sent to Freeland in recent weeks, including one from an all-party group of MPs who also called for Canada to take international legal action.

In addition, Toronto and Montreal city councils have passed unanimous motions and several other Canadian mayors and rights organizations have sent their own letters to Freeland urging Canada to seek justice for the mass killing and atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya people in Myanmar.

Last year, Canada became the first country in the world to officially recognize the crimes against the Rohingya as a genocide.

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That’s why senators and advocates say in their letter this week that Canada has a moral and legal obligation to take the next step and invoke the UN genocide convention to hold Myanmar responsible.

The Canadian Press