China asks ICC to be “objective and fair” after request for arrest warrant for Myanmar junta leader

MADRID 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of China has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) this Thursday to “maintain an objective and fair position” and to apply International Law “in good faith” following the decision of the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, to claim an arrest warrant against the leader of the Myanmar junta, Min Aung Hlaing, for crimes against humanity, in particular for the persecution of the Rohingya community in the state of Rakhine (west).

“We have always believed that the ICC should maintain an objective and fair position and strictly adhere to the principles of complementary jurisdiction and international cooperation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who has asked the court to “exercise its powers prudently”.

Thus, he stated that “the issue in the state of Rakhine has a very complex historical, ethnic and religious context that requires exhaustive measures for an adequate solution”, before emphasizing that Beijing, “as a friendly neighbor of Burma”, is “continuing closely” the situation.

Mao has also defended that the authorities of the Asian giant are willing to “work with the international community to play a constructive role in stabilizing the situation and reducing tensions,” according to the Chinese news portal The Paper.

Khan’s office attributes criminal responsibility to the Burmese military leader, who has governed the Asian country since the February 2021 coup d’état, for crimes of deportation and persecution, in relation to abuses perpetrated by the Burmese Armed Forces, which he commanded. , between August and December 2017.

The investigation is based on testimonies and evidence collected in recent years and the Prosecutor’s Office wanted to express in its statement its “deep gratitude” to the Rohingya community, forced to flee en masse in the face of persecution that, according to the UN, had “genocidal intentions” on the part of the military. Around a million people remain in Bangladesh today.