Oregon’s Rohingya Community Congratulates
President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on Their Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2020 - The Oregon Rohingya Community congratulates President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on your election. Many of us were able to vote in the U.S. election as citizens of this great country.
We also congratulate our Oregon members of Congress in their reelection - Senator Merkley, Congressmen Blumenauer and DeFazio and Congresswoman Bonamici. We are grateful for your continued support in our efforts to seek justice and accountability for the crimes committed against our community in Myanmar.
We proudly exercised our right to vote in the U.S. elections. Sadly, the Rohingya community was denied the right to vote in the elections that took place in Myanmar on November 9th. The Rohingya continue to be disenfranchised in Myanmar’s elections. The Myanmar government continues to deny us citizenship and the right to vote. This is only one element of the continued genocide against us. The elections in Myanmar cannot be seen as credible, free or fair as long as we are denied our citizenship.
There were many other concerns with the elections including the closing of polling locations; the disenfranchisement of other ethnic and minority groups; widespread misinformation and hate speech; voter intimidation and suppression; arrests of peaceful protesters; renewed internet restrictions; in addition to structural flaws in the constitution, giving the Tatmadaw guaranteed veto power.
We are grateful for Oregon members of Congress’ continued support for human rights and democracy for the Rohingya. We ask President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to also commit to standing up for our dignity, right to exist, and right to return home to Myanmar with citizenship restored; and for condemning the continuing campaign of genocide against us. This includes making a formal determination that the violent, systematic campaign against us by Myanmar constitutes genocide; and to support international justice mechanisms including the cases before the ICC and ICJ, to address the crimes against us and bring about justice and accountability. We ask all members of Congress, the State Department, and the incoming Administration to not recognize Myanmar’s elections as free and fair. Without widespread condemnation of Myanmar’s brutal and relentless campaign to erase the Rohingya, the government and military of Myanmar will continue to act with impunity. We cannot wait any longer.