The war crimes court said violence committed against Myanmar's Muslim minority could qualify as "crimes against humanity." Over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 to escape a brutal military crackdown.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Qadri
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Judges on the international Criminal Court (ICC) authorized prosecutors on Thursday to investigate crimes committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The Hague-based war crimes court said there were grounds to believe "widespread and/or systematic acts of violence" had been carried out against the Muslim minority.
They added that those acts "could qualify as the crimes against humanity of deportation across the Myanmar-Bangladesh border" as well as persecution on grounds of ethnicity and/or religion.
Chief ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was also granted authority to investigate crimes beyond the scope of her request, as well as any potential future crimes committed against the Rohingya by Myanmar's military, which still effectively controls the country despite recent reforms.
Although Myanmar is not a member of the ICC, the court said it has jurisdiction over crimes partially committed in neighboring Bangladesh — which is a member of the global court.
Accusations of ethnic cleansing
In August 2017, Myanmar's military launched a counterinsurgency campaign against the Rohingya in response to an insurgent attack.
Myanmar's military has been accused of carrying out a campaign that amounted to ethnic cleansing, with forces accused of murder, mass rape and torching homes.
The decision has increased pressure on Myanmar, which has been accused of widespread abuses against the Rohingya.
Both of the courts are located in The Hague, with the ICC primarily responsible for convicting individuals responsible for crimes, while the ICJ seeks to settle disputes between nations.
Bangladesh has invested $272 million (€248 million) to make the Bhasan Char island liveable for the Rohingya. But the refugees, currently camped in Cox's Bazar district, are reluctant to move to the cyclone-prone island.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Far from the mainland
Bhasan Char, which means "floating island" in Bengali language, emerged less than 20 years ago in the Bay of Bengal. The island is located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from mainland Bangladesh. The government of the Muslim-majority country plans to relocate some 100,000 Rohingya refugees to this island from overcrowded Cox's Bazar refugee camps.
Image: DW/A. Islam
No easy transportation
There is no proper transport for the common people to go to the island. Some people told DW that the roughness of the sea makes it difficult to reach the island on boats during the monsoon season.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Protected by embankment?
The government has erected a 13-kilometer-long and 3-meter-high embankment to protect the island from high tides and floods. Still, the outer part of the embankment goes 3 to 4 feet underwater twice a month during high tides, according to the island's shopkeepers.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Identical buildings
The government has built 1,440 single-storey buildings, with 16 rooms in each, to house the Rohingya refugees. At least four members of a family have to live in a small room. 120 four-storey shelter houses are also available, to be used during cyclones.
Image: DW/N. Conrad
Solar power for energy
All buildings at Bhasan Char are equipped with solar panels to fulfil their energy demands. A big solar field and two diesel generators for electricity have also been installed. The island has a rainwater harvesting system as well as tube wells to provide drinking water.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Protection from erosion
The silt island is called a "floating island" due to its unstable nature. Satellite images detected the island in 2002. Bangladeshi authorities have built a structure with pylons, gravel and sandbags to stop the erosion of the island.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Is the island uninhabitable?
While some experts say the island is still very fragile and uninhabitable, climate change specialist Ainun Nishat is of the opinion that people can live here if the embankment is heightened to 6.5 to 7 meters. However, he doesn't think that farming is possible on the island.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Rohingya fear cyclone, drowning
The refugees fear they could die as a result of a cyclone if they are forcibly moved to the island. Many of their children could drown in the sea, they say.
Image: DW/A. Islam
Will Rohingya move there?
While the island is almost ready to host Rohingya refugees, the government has yet to make a decision on transferring them to it. Several sources say the relocation could take place in November. The Bangladeshi government has hinted it might have to force the refugees to go there if no one chooses to leave the Cox's Bazar's refugee settlements.
