Coordinate With International Criminal Court To Ensure Accountability For Crimes By Rohingya Militant Commander

20 March, 2025

Bangladesh authorities should coordinate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for the prosecution of Ata Ullah abu Ammar Jununi, Commander-in-Chief of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), for war crimes in Myanmar and Bangladesh, said Fortify Rights today. The arrest of Ata Ullah occurred on the same day that Fortify Rights published a new report in Dhaka detailing international crimes allegedly ordered by Ata Ullah.

On March 18, 2025, Bangladeshi authorities arrested Ata Ullah and other senior ARSA leaders in Narayanganj on the outskirts of Dhaka.

“As the commander-in-chief of ARSA, Ata Ullah is responsible for ordering and overseeing egregious violations of international law, including targeted killings, abductions, and the torture of Rohingya civilians,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Fortify Rights. “This is a critical moment. Bangladesh has taken the important step of arresting Ata Ullah and others, and we encourage the ICC prosecutor to seek an arrest warrant for Ata Ullah to prosecute him in The Hague.”

Bangladesh authorities are reportedly holding Ata Ullah and other members of ARSA in remand for offenses under the Bangladesh Anti-Terrorism Act and other crimes.

On March 18, 2025, the same day of Ata Ullah’s arrest, Fortify Rights published a new report documenting how members of Rohingya armed groups, including ARSA, have killed, abducted, tortured, and threatened Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh—crimes that may amount to war crimes under international law. The report finds “reasonable grounds” to believe that certain acts committed by armed groups in Bangladesh are sufficiently linked to the ongoing armed conflict in Myanmar, that they may be considered war crimes under international law.

Fortify Rights provided the Government of Bangladesh with advance notice of the report in a letter to interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus on February 16, 2025.

Among countless other crimes, evidence suggests that Ata Ullah ordered the killing of prominent Rohingya human rights defender Mohib Ullah in September 2021. Evidence from authorities reported in the media further implicates Ata Ullah in the killing of a Bangladeshi intelligence officer.

Fortify Rights calls on the the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor to seek an arrest warrant for Ata Ullah in connection with international crimes committed against Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh and to cooperate with the Government of Bangladesh to ensure he is held accountable. Fortify Rights also urges the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar in Geneva to share any relevant case files with the ICC or Bangladeshi authorities that could support the prosecution of Ata Ullah and others responsible for atrocity crimes.

“These crimes have devastated Rohingya communities in the camps and around the world and upended regional stability,” said Matthew Smith. “International justice mechanisms, including the ICC, should follow Bangladesh’s lead and take urgent action.”

ARSA and other Rohingya armed groups are engaged in armed conflict in Myanmar. Despite the Myanmar military junta being responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya, ARSA and the junta have joined forces to fight the Arakan Army, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed organizations based in Rakhine State. To reinforce their operations in Myanmar, ARSA and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation—another Rohingya-led armed group—have

abducted refugees in Bangladesh and forced them to fight in Myanmar

. Such acts should be investigated as possible war crimes, said Fortify Rights.

The ICC has already established jurisdiction and opened an investigation into cross-border atrocity crimes occurring against Rohingya in both Bangladesh and Myanmar. This includes crimes committed by ARSA and the ICC should seize this moment to advance justice for these crimes, said Fortify Rights.

“The Rohingya people deserve justice for the atrocities committed against them, whether the military junta, the Arakan Army, or Rohingya militant groups committed such crimes,” said Matthew Smith. “Fortify Rights stands ready to share relevant documentation with Bangladesh and international authorities.”

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