International Criminal Court requests inquest into Rohingya crisis

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Thursday requested permission to investigate the persecution of Rohingya people in south-east Myanmar, a statement from the court said.

The Hague-based international court's prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, had already announced such a move last week. It is unclear when judges will decide on her request.

She is pushing for "an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, namely deportation, other inhumane acts and persecution committed against the Rohingya people from Myanmar," the statement reads.

Last year, the court ruled that it may exercise jurisdiction over Myanmar, even though it is not a party to the court.

Neighbouring Bangladesh, where around 700,000 predominantly Muslim Rohingya people have sought refuge, is however a member state. The military has been blamed for the alleged crimes in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.    (dpa)