BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (KUNA) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) Thursday authorised the prosecutor to proceed with an investigation for alleged crimes committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
The ICC in a press release at the Hague where it is based said the scale of the alleged crimes and the number of victims allegedly involved reaches the gravity threshold.
An estimated 600,000 to one million Rohingya were forcibly displaced from Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh as a result of the alleged coercive acts, it noted.
On her part, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda welcomed the decision by ICC judges to authorise her request for investigation.
"With today's decision, a formal investigation has been authorised, for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court, allegedly committed on or after 1 June 2010, at least in part on the territory of Bangladesh, or on the territory of other state parties, as described in the decision," she noted. "This is a significant development, sending a positive signal to the victims of atrocity crimes in Myanmar and elsewhere," added Bensouda.
The Office of the Prosecutor will start collecting the necessary evidence from a variety of reliable sources, independently, impartially, and objectively.
The investigation can take as long as needed to gather the required evidence, said the ICC. (end) nk.sd