House approves resolution calling persecution of Myanmar Muslims a ‘genocide,’ in contrast with Trump’s silence

By David Nakamura December 13 at 12:57 PM

The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday to label the deadly persecution of a Muslim minority group in Myanmar by the country’s military a “genocide,” in sharp contrast to President Trump’s public silence on the matter.

The bill, approved by a vote of 394 to 1, also calls on Myanmar’s government leaders, including state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, to pardon two Reuters journalists who have been jailed for over a year for their coverage of the violence, which resulted in more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing the country last year.

This week, Time magazine included those reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, on the cover of its “Person of the Year” issue, which paid tribute to journalists across the globe who were killed or imprisoned for their work.

The House resolution said the violence against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state last year met the U.N. definition of genocide and called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to make his own determination “based on available evidence.” The United Nations issued its report in August saying military leaders in Myanmar, also known as Burma, must face criminal prosecution on charges of genocide.

-snip-