The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has requested an arrest warrant for Myanmar's military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, over alleged crimes against humanity targeting the Rohingya minority. This move was held on (27 November) New York. 
Khan accused Min Aung Hlaing of bearing criminal responsibility for the deportation and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh during a military crackdown between August and December 2017. The violence forced over a million Rohingya to flee Myanmar, with most seeking refuge in Bangladesh, according to ICC estimates.
Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar's military, the Tatmadaw, has been serving as the country's de facto leader since the military coup in 2021. The ICC investigation, which began in 2019, implicates Myanmar's armed forces, national police, border guards, and non-Rohingya civilians in the systematic attacks.
Myanmar’s government has consistently denied allegations of genocide, claiming its military operations were targeted at Rohingya insurgents.
Khan emphasized the urgency of justice for the Rohingya, referencing testimonies he collected during visits to refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. He pledged that the ICC would continue its efforts, filing additional applications for arrest warrants to ensure accountability.
While the ICC awaits approval from its judges to issue the warrant. Its jurisdiction is limited as Myanmar is not a member of the court. However, if Min Aung Hlaing travels to any of the ICC’s 123 member states, they would be obligated to arrest and transfer him to the ICC.
The move has been widely welcomed by human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch described it as a crucial step toward justice and ending the military's long-standing impunity.
The Rohingya crisis has been widely condemned by the international community. United Nations investigations have documented mass killings, rapes, and the destruction of Rohingya villages, with former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein calling the military's actions a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" in 2017.
In 2020, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) imposed provisional measures requiring Myanmar to prevent acts of genocide against the Rohingya.
Khan concluded by reiterating the ICC’s commitment to the Rohingya, stating, “They, like all people around the world, are entitled to the protection of the law.”

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