Refugee Art Becomes Evidence In Myanmar Genocide Case

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Artworks created by refugees, including Rohingya artist Enayet Khan, are being used as evidence in legal efforts to prosecute crimes against humanity and genocide. Khan, who fled Myanmar in 2017 with ten family members, established the Rohingya Art Club (RAC) in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, a refugee camp now home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees. His art depicts scenes from the Rohingya genocide, such as burning homes, fleeing families, and executions carried out by Myanmar's military.

Khan himself witnessed people being shot and his own home destroyed during his three-day escape through forests and villages in 2017.“I lost everything,” Khan told Hyperallergic,“Home, documentation, property, a sense of security.” The Rohingya people, stripped of citizenship by a 1982 law, are among the world's largest stateless groups, with most fleeing Myanmar in 2017 to escape military atrocities.

Legal experts state that refugee artwork can be crucial in accountability efforts, serving as testimony and corroborating survivor accounts, potentially even becoming evidence in legal proceedings for mass atrocities. Antonia Mulvey, executive director of Legal Action Worldwide and a former United Nations investigator, specifically collected artwork as part of the evidence in a case before the International Court of Justice. This case charged the Myanmar military with genocide against Rohingya communities in 2017. Mulvey noted that high illiteracy rates among the Rohingya, particularly women and children, made drawings a vital method for conveying testimonies where traditional statements were difficult to record.

Globally, a record 117.8 million people have been forcibly displaced, a figure that has increased for 12 consecutive years. Investigations and prosecutions for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes have significantly risen within the European Union, with new cases growing by 44% between 2016 and 2021. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has described the increasing demand from displaced individuals seeking accountability through international courts as“unprecedented,” a demand that art is helping to meet for some legal advocates.

Source: Hyperallergic

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