Museum Statement on One-Year Anniversary of Violence Against Rohingya

WASHINGTON, DC - August 25, 2018, marks the one year anniversary of the atrocities perpetrated by the Burmese military which killed thousands of Rohingya women, men, and children, forcing approximately 800,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

The Museum remembers the victims of these crimes and calls on the international community to take concerted action to protect those still at risk, prevent future atrocities, and advance efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.

Shortly after the August 25, 2017, attacks, the Museum, alongside the group Fortify Rights, expressed alarm at the crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and mounting evidence of genocide against the Rohingya community. These attacks followed decades of systematic persecution by the Burmese government and its military against the Rohingya, a religious and ethnic minority in the country. The military’s sustained assault has led to the near erasure of the Rohingya from Burma.

Absent preventive efforts, those few Rohingya remaining in Burma as well as other ethnic minorities in the country, including the Kachin, Shan, and others, will continue to be targeted by the Burmese military.

Elie Wiesel, the Museum’s Founding Chairman, said, “We hope to share our conviction that when war and genocide unleash hatred against any one people or peoples, all are ultimately engulfed in the fire.”

This is the time for a strong and clear response to protect the Rohingya and other groups from further violence and death.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching education programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit, ushmm.org.

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Plight of the Rohingya