Muslim activists ask Argentine court to issue arrest warrant for AA leaders

By Admin 05 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom

5 September 2025, Mrauk-U

Muslim activists have asked the Argentine Federal Court to issue arrest warrants for the Chief of the Arakan Army (AA) Maj-Gen Twan Mrat Naing, Deputy Leader of the AA Dr Nyo Twan Awng and other leaders on charges of genocide against Muslims.

The UK-based Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) announced on September 3 that it had filed a petition seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of the Arakan Army.

In a statement, BROUK accused the Arakan Army of committing atrocities against Muslim civilians, including mass killings, rape and other sexual violence, and torture.

"The Argentine judiciary has already shown courage and clarity in the only judicial case in the world that has jurisdiction over the Rohingya," BROUK President U Tun Khin said. "We now call on the court not to ignore the AA's serious human rights violations in the ongoing investigation into the Rohingya genocide."

BROUK's statement also said that a report by the UN Human Rights Council released on August 29 documented crimes committed by the Arakan Army against Muslims. BROUK said that these included an incident near Htan Shauk Khan Village in Buthidaung Township on May 2, 2024.

The Htan Shauk Khan Village incident involves allegations that the Arakan Army killed hundreds of Muslims during the battle for Buthidaung.

Muslim elders in Maungdaw District issued a statement on August 23 saying skeletons found in Htan Shauk Khan Village were the remains of junta soldiers killed in the fighting, and that junta accusations that the AA killed more than 600 Muslims are a fabrication and a lie.

"When I looked at the pictures of the bodies, there were no children or women. They were all junta soldiers. I saw about two Muslim militants. The relevant people can come here and investigate," said U Zaw Law Din, a Muslim elder from Htan Shauk Khan Village.

Fortify Rights, a human rights group, has also documented cases of torture by the Arakan Army and the arrest and disappearance of Muslim men in internment camps.

Arakanese politicians say the accusations by Muslims living abroad are only an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the AA and are only intended to serve the interests of Muslim groups living abroad.

"I think it is practically impossible for Muslim activists to sue Arakan Army leaders on one-sided charges. They [Muslim activists] have not been able to sue junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. It is also impossible for the Arakan Army to kill hundreds of Muslims, and Muslim activists are acting in concert with the Myanmar military," said a male Arakanese political analyst.

Political analysts believe that the attempt to issue arrest warrants for Arakan Army leaders is unlikely to achieve much practically.

"There has been no action taken against the killings of hundreds of thousands of people in ethnic areas by successive military regimes. In the 2017 uprising, hundreds of thousands of Muslims fled across the border as the military conducted a land clearance operation, but no action was taken. Now, Muslim activists are only accusing the leaders of the Arakan Army, and there is no evidence, so it is practically impossible to take action," the Arakanese political analyst said.

In 2019, BROUK filed a lawsuit against Myanmar military officials, including military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, deputy leader Vice Senior General Soe Win, along with civilian leaders such as State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former President U Htin Kyaw, on charges of genocide against Muslims, and an arrest warrant was issued by an Argentine federal court in February 2025.

In the latest case, BROUK said that five witnesses have been presented to testify about the Arakan Army's atrocities in the indictment of Arakan Army leaders.

Legal experts have commented that the Arakan Army needs to prepare in advance regarding BROUK's request for arrest warrants for Arakan Army leaders.

"The AA needs to avoid making the same mistake that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi made. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi rejected international investigations, saying she feared harming the military relationship, and instead supported the military's claims without releasing evidence. The Arakan Army must learn its lesson, cooperate where it should, and be prepared to defend itself legally," legal expert U Kyi Myint said.

BROUK states that the crimes committed by the Arakan Army are part of a series of genocides and crimes against Muslims that have been going on for decades.

The Arakan Army currently has full control of 14 of 17 townships in Arakan State, and operates administrative machinery on the ground.

Local Muslim communities say the Arakan Army is also prioritising social harmony with the Muslim community in the areas it controls.