Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The Government of Bangladesh right now is responding in a better way. When the attacks first started, we saw the government essentially preventing Rohingyas from entering Bangladesh. We documented some preventable deaths because of that. Some people who essentially were waiting a

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. We had a high level of hope when Mr. Annan publicized his final recommendations of the commission he was heading. They are comprehensive and they cover everything from freedom of movement to recommendations to investigate allegations of serious human rights violations

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I assume you're referring to the northern Rakhine Rohingya militants.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  From what we know about this group they were armed mostly with sticks and knives. They don't appear at all to be a well-armed terrorist organization by any stretch. We documented several cells in villages all throughout northern Rakhine State. Their recruitment increased dramatic

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would. The situation, certainly dating back to when Aung San Suu Kyi took office, has been problematic. I was in the internment camps in Rakhine State when the national elections were held. There was a great amount of hope for Aung San Suu Kyi and for her government, even despi

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, sir. Back in 2015, we gave a team of people from Yale Law School several years' worth of documentation and asked them to approach this question about whether the crime of genocide may have been perpetrated in Rakhine State. This was before the current wave of violence.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That is an excellent question on an important issue. Prior to the October 9 attacks, Aung San Suu Kyi was largely equivocal, but since then we have seen her and her office perpetuating this propaganda campaign. It's a very deadly propaganda campaign. It's getting people in the

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal, but I do think these initiatives are helpful. We at Fortify Rights document human rights violations, and another side of our work is that we provide technical support to communities that are under attack

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Humanitarian aid right now is a very serious problem, and it has been for some time. I don't know if it was discussed yet, but in Myanmar, there are more than 120,000 Rohingya who are confined to internment camps by the government. They survived similar violence in 2012. Humani

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There are organizations operational in the camps in Bangladesh that are working with the Bangladesh authorities to provide aid. In the past, the Government of Bangladesh has, in our view, made the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Rohingya actually very difficult. The sentiment

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. It's an excellent question. From our observations and documentation, it's very clear to us at this point that the Myanmar state security forces, and to a certain extent the civilian government, are using the context of counterinsurgency to, as my colleague said, either drive

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Absolutely. On August 30, in a village called Min Gyi, soldiers essentially told villagers that they'd be safe. A large group of people gathered by the side of the Purma River, and shortly thereafter, soldiers opened fire. These types of mass killings we are documenting and have

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I can hear you fine. Can you hear me now?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's excellent. Thank you, sir. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for this opportunity, and thank you for taking the time to focus on the very urgent situation in Rakhine State. I work with a human rights organization called Fortify Rights. I've been ba