China must seek justice for Rohingya to emerge as a global leader: Yanghee Lee

China must seek justice for the Rohingya instead of condoning violation of human rights if it wants to become truly a global leader, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar has said.

Yanghee Lee says the more than 1.1 million refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh after fleeing decades of persecution and recent violence by the military in Rakhine State are not “fake news”.

She has regretted the actions of China and Russia over the Rohingya refugee crisis, urging them to visit the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh to understand how “regretful” and “shameful” their actions are.

“Unfortunately, the Security Council fails to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court,” she told a news conference in Dhaka on Thursday at the end of a five-day visit to Bangladesh.

The 15-member Security Council has been deadlocked with Myanmar allies China and Russia pitted against Western states over how to deal with the Rohingya crisis.

“It really is regretful. I have said it many times. It is shameful for those two states to not doing… in the face of what evidence we have. They can just come and look at Cox’s Bazar. That’s not fabricated news. That’s not fake news,” Lee said.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, addresses a news conference at the capital’s Le Méridien hotel on Thursday, ending her 5-day official visit to Bangladesh. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

She said she hoped that “especially China, with its attempt to become one of the top global leaders”, would come forward to resolve the crisis.

“It cannot become a global leader without respecting human rights,” the UN rapporteur said.

China “must also seek justice and accountability” for the Rohingya to become a global leader, she added.

As there is no sign yet that China or Russia will let the Security Council refer the Myanmar situation to the ICC, Lee said she would propose an “international ad hoc tribunal” to try those responsible for the atrocities against the Rohingya, besides pressuring the council to act as per the responsibilities it has in line with the UN charter.

The UN special rapporteur said she would make the proposal on the tribunal, similar to those formed for Sierra Leon or Rwanda, in a report to the UN in March.