By Anuwar Sadek

Persecution, killings, imprisonment, torture, forced labor, movement restrictions, and many other forms of oppression against the Rohingya minority by the brutal Burmese government are not new. These atrocities have been ongoing since the early years following Myanmar’s independence from British colonial rule. Most recently, a new armed group claiming authority—the so-called Arakan Army (AA)—with terroristic intentions of ethnically cleansing the remaining Rohingya Muslims from Arakan (Rakhine) State, has reportedly killed more than 5,000 civilians across Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathidaung, and other regions.
For a single Rohingya, trying to live a normal life has become like surviving in a battlefield that feels more like a graveyard. Can anyone truly understand what it means to live with the constant fear of death, without access to even the most basic necessities? It is not easy—perhaps impossible—for any human being to survive in such a condition.
Due to the unbearable persecution inflicted by the Burmese government, the Rohingya people have endured multiple waves of forced exodus—each one a desperate search for a place where they can live without the fear of being killed. These journeys have repeatedly ended in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where over a million Rohingya now take shelter and survive under more humane conditions. The warm hospitality extended by the people and government of Bangladesh will never be forgotten. It is an act of humanity that deserves eternal gratitude—and surely, divine reward.
According to the United Nations, more than 122.6 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. Among them are the Rohingya, driven from their ancestral homeland of Myanmar. Being a refugee does not strip a person of their humanity. Refugees still carry hope, emotions, anger, decisions, feelings, and dreams—just like anyone else. But all of these are suppressed, locked away under the label of “refugee,” often treated like prisoners in cages.
Have you ever truly noticed how emotionally shattered a refugee can be? Have you heard the silence of their unheard voices? They live like birds in a cage—unable to fly, speak, or be free.
Countless Rohingya activists, diaspora leaders, camp-based organizations, youth leaders, elders, and women have tirelessly tried to make their voices heard by international institutions such as the ICC, ICJ, and OIC. But the world often listens without responding. Is it not the responsibility of these international bodies to ensure equal justice for vulnerable communities like the Rohingya? If not—then what is the purpose of international justice at all?




