ICC rules it has jurisdiction over Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction to investigate the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh last year, the court announced on Thursday.

Some 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled their homes into Bangladesh since August last year, bringing with them tales of rape, arson and killings by Myanmar security forces. The military crackdown - labelled ethnic cleansing by the UN - followed Rohingya militant attacks on police posts and an army base.

"The Court has jurisdiction over the crime against humanity of deportation allegedly committed against members of the Rohingya people," the ICC statement said.

The decision means those accused of crimes against the Rohingya could be tried in The Hague. The fact that the case involves a border crossing from one state not adherent to the court, Myanmar, to one that does, Bangladesh, justified the court's decision, it said.

Preliminary investigations currently being conducted by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda into the Rohingya crisis must be concluded "within a reasonable time," the ICC said.

The UN's independent fact-finding mission last month accused the Myanmar military of committing crimes against humanity and recommended referring Myanmar to the ICC to face genocide charges. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, had in April called the application for the ICC to take over jurisdiction a source of "concern."

"The proposed claim for extension of jurisdiction may very well reap serious consequences and exceed the well-enshrined principle that the ICC is a body which operates on behalf of and with the consent of, state parties," read a statement on Suu Kyi's office Facebook page.    (dpa)