MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS GIVE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT A FAILING GRADE IN YEAR-END REPORT CARD ON LACK OF DECISIVE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE ROHINGYA GENOCIDE December 21, 2017 – Actions by the Canadian government in response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar have been given a failing grade in a year-end report card by human rights activists and organizations in Canada. Members of the Rohingya Human Rights Network, human rights organizations, academics and activists contend that the actions of the Canadian government to address the Rohingya genocide unfolding in Myanmar have been wholly inadequate, other than in the area of providing emergency humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees. “If the actions of the Canadian government to help the Rohingya were a university course in how to protect human rights and oppose genocide then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government would justifiably be receiving a grade of ‘F’ for the semester,” said Ottawa-based human rights activist Fareed Khan. Khan noted that since atrocities against the Rohingya by Myanmar came to light at the end of August Canadian human rights activists have been calling on the Canadian government to take decisive action to help the Rohingya, including taking leadership on the world stage on this issue. “The Canadian government’s response on the crisis to date has been a failure and has done nothing to protect the Rohingya from the genocide agenda of the Myanmar government,” Khan added. According to Prof. John Packer, Director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, “The largely ‘wait and see’ approach that Canada has taken makes no sense in terms of the crisis the Rohingya are facing right now, and less sense in terms of the decades old genocidal agenda of the Myanmar government.” He went on to say that “Canada’s lack of decisive action so far on this issue either reflects impotence or absence of serious will.” The Canadian government was graded on the basis of their response to the following calls for action to help the Rohingya: ● Canada unequivocally condemn atrocities committed by Myanmar's military and state-supported nationalist groups who have committed crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and what amounts to genocide against the Rohingya – GRADE “F”. The Canadian government has yet to condemn the leaders of Myanmar in unequivocal terms for their involvement in atrocities against the Rohingya despite repeated requests by human rights activists. ● Canada work with international partners to bring Myanmar’s military and civilian leaders to justice for their crimes against humanity and genocidal policies targeting the Rohingya – GRADE “F”. Canada has done nothing to bring charges against the military and civilian leaders of Myanmar – or even initiate investigations – for their genocidal policies against the Rohingya. ● Canada take leadership in the United Nations and internationally to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar – GRADE “F”. Canada has shown no leadership either at the UN or internationally to institute an arms embargo on Myanmar. ● Canada work with international agencies and our allies to create a safe haven for the Rohingya in their homeland under the United Nations doctrine of “Responsibility to Protect” – GRADE “F”. Neither Canada nor any other nation has called on the UN to implement the Responsibility to Protect protocol. ● Canada work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and leaders of other nations to address the humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh – GRADE “B+”. This has been the only area in which the government has responded adequately to requests by activists. ● Overall grade – GRADE “F”. Since September almost 46,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Canadian government to take decisive action on the Rohingya crisis, and tens of thousands more have been lobbying the government in an email campaign. The crisis has resulted in more than 625,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh for safety, over 300 Rohingya villages being wiped off the map by the Myanmar military, tens of thousands of Rohingya women being gang raped, and tens of thousands of innocent Rohingya men, women and children being massacred by Myanmar military forces or associated vigilante groups. The following organizations and citizen activists who support the Rohingya cause are in agreement with this assessment of the Canadian government's lack of action on the Rohingya genocide: Humaira Jaleel Rohingya Human Rights Network (Winnipeg) Fareed Khan Rohingya Human Rights Network (Ottawa-Gatineau) Sponsor of Change.org petition calling for action on the Rohingya genocide Sadia Masroor Rohingya Human Rights Network (Ottawa-Gatineau) Memuna Moolla Rohingya Human Rights Network (Saskatoon) Yasmin Ullah Rohingya Human Rights Network (Vancouver) Monia Mazigh Human Rights Advocate & Author Saima Jamal Calgary Centre for Global Community Alamgir Kabir Citizen Forum BC El-Farouk Khaki Toronto Unity Mosque Waheed Ahmed Afghan Canadian Society Professor John Packer Director, Human Rights Research & Education Centre Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa Professor Karen Busby Director, Centre for Human Rights Research Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba Professor François Crépeau Director, Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism Faculty of Law, McGill University Samer Muscati Director, International Human Rights Programme Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Professor Nandini Ramanujam Faculty of Law, McGill University Professor Craig Scott Acting Director, Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime & Security York University Zeshan Shahbaz Institute for Research of Genocide Canada Dr. Christina Szurlej Endowed Chair in Human Rights & Director Atlantic Human Rights Centre Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire Faculté de droit, Université Laval