Human rights organization Fortify Rights has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expand its ongoing investigation into crimes against the Rohingya to include new evidence of a mass killing allegedly carried out by the Arakan Army (Arakan Army) in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

In a detailed investigation released today, Fortify Rights documented the killing of scores of Rohingya civilians in Hoyyar Siri (Htan Shauk Khan) village in Buthidaung Township, following clashes in early May 2024. The group also called for U.N. member states to impose targeted sanctions on Arakan Army commanders allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations.

The report states that Arakan Army forces ordered villagers to evacuate on May 1, 2024, before opening fire on fleeing civilians the following morning. Survivors described being trapped between armed groups before being shot at close range, resulting in multiple deaths, including women and children. Testimonies collected by Fortify Rights from survivors who fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia detail arbitrary killings, torture, arson, and forced displacement in areas under Arakan Army control.

Since late 2023, the Arakan Army has gained significant territorial control in Rakhine State, including predominantly Rohingya areas of Buthidaung Township in northern Rakhine State (Rakhine State).

Fortify Rights Senior Director Peter Bouckaert said the killings add to growing evidence of systematic persecution of Rohingya civilians and argued that accountability mechanisms must be strengthened through the ICC process.

The International Criminal Court has already been investigating crimes related to the forced deportation of Rohingya following violence in 2016–2017. That mandate was established after the court confirmed jurisdiction over cross-border crimes involving Bangladesh. The current legal framework, based on the Rome Statute (Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court), allows the ICC to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in ongoing contexts linked to the Rohingya crisis.

Fortify Rights says its findings are based on interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, along with photographic evidence collected between 2025 and 2026. The organization also cites similar allegations of abuses in other parts of Rakhine State, including earlier reported mass killings and arson attacks against Rohingya communities.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) has also previously documented reports of large-scale civilian casualties in the same area, including allegations of mass shootings during civilian displacement in May 2024.

International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions (Geneva Conventions), requires all parties in armed conflict to protect civilians who are not taking part in hostilities. Fortify Rights argues that alleged attacks in Hoyyar Siri may constitute serious violations of these protections and fall within the ICC’s jurisdiction.

The Arakan Army has previously denied similar allegations and has not publicly accepted responsibility for the reported incidents.

Fortify Rights is calling on the ICC Prosecutor to formally expand its investigation to include alleged atrocities committed by the Arakan Army, arguing that accountability is essential to prevent further violence against Rohingya civilians in Myanmar’s conflict-affected Rakhine State.

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