RGPRN Condemns Myanmar Military’s Election Rhetoric as Attempt to Whitewash Crimes and Sustain Oppression

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,  The Rohingya Genocide Prevention Research Network (RGPRN) strongly condemns recent statements by Myanmar’s military junta suggesting that political problems in the country can be resolved through elections. These declarations are nothing more than a cynical ploy by a regime responsible for crimes against humanity, including the genocide of the Rohingya people, to cling to power and regain an act of international legitimacy.

The military’s actions since the February 2021 coup speak louder than its words. It violently overthrew a democratically elected government and responded to peaceful civilian protests with lethal force. Thousands have been killed, detained, and tortured. Ethnic communities across the country including the Chin, Kachin, Karen, and Rohingya have suffered widespread displacement, airstrikes, and systemic abuse.

For the Rohingya, the junta’s latest rhetoric is a painful reminder of decades of persecution. The same military now calling for elections led brutal “clearance operations” in 2016–2017, forcing over 750,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Today, over one million Rohingya remain stateless, confined to refugee camps or open-air prisons in Rakhine State, denied basic rights and protection.

“The junta’s so-called path to political resolution is not a step forward—it’s a strategy to rewrite history and avoid accountability,” said Ro Mayyu Islam, Founder and Executive Director of RGPRN. “You cannot resolve a crisis by empowering the very institution that caused it. Elections under military control are neither free nor fair—they are a tool of repression.”

The Myanmar military’s long-standing impunity and refusal to engage in inclusive, civilian-led dialogue have left the country in a deep humanitarian and political crisis. The junta’s call for elections is not a move toward peace; it is a calculated attempt to divide the resistance, secure international concessions, and prolong authoritarian rule.

RGPRN calls for:

●      The immediate and complete withdrawal of the military from all political institutions;

●      Justice and accountability for crimes committed against all communities, especially the Rohingya;

●      The establishment of an inclusive, civilian-led democratic process with full participation of ethnic minorities, including Rohingya;

●      Stronger international pressure to isolate and sanction the junta, and meaningful support to grassroots democratic movements.

“There can be no future for Myanmar under military rule,” added Islam. “The people of Myanmar have made it clear: true peace and democracy can only begin when the military steps aside, and justice is served.”

RGPRN stands in solidarity with all communities resisting tyranny, and renews its commitment to documenting abuses, advocating for justice, and supporting the long-overdue inclusion and dignity of the Rohingya people in Myanmar’s future.

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