Rohingya GAP Act

Bill: 118-hr-8936
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]
Introduced: 2024-07-05
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia

Bangladesh

Burma

Congressional oversight

Department of State

Federal officials

Foreign aid and international relief

Government information and archives

Higher education

Human rights

Internet, web applications, social media

Lawyers and legal services

Racial and ethnic relations

Refugees, asylum, displaced persons

South Asia

Student aid and college costs

War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
Latest action: action_date: 2024-07-11
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 44 - 3.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8936 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 5, 2024 Mr. Meeks introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To provide protection, support, and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and internally displaced people as well as promote accountability and a path out of genocide and crimes against humanity for Rohingya.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the “ Rohingya Genocide Accountability and Protection Act ” or “ Rohingya GAP Act ”. 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) In its report dated September 17, 2018, the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) found that impunity was a “root cause of continued human rights violations in Myanmar” that “has significantly and demonstrably contributed to the validation of deeply oppressive and discriminatory conduct, enabled recurrence of human rights violations and atrocity crimes, and emboldened perpetrators and silenced victims,” and concluded that “ensuring accountability for crimes” was “the key to disrupting patterns of oppression and cycles of violence” as well as a legal obligation for Burma. (2) On December 13, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1091, by an overwhelming majority of 394 to 1, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that atrocities committed against Rohingya by members of the Burma military and security forces since August 2017 constitute crimes against humanity and genocide. (3) On September 16, 2019, the FFM reported that it “has reasonable grounds to conclude that the evidence that infers genocidal intent on the part of the State, identified in its last report, has strengthened that there is a serious risk that genocidal actions may occur or recur”. (4) On February 1, 2021, the Burma military conducted a coup d’état, derailing Burma’s transition to democracy and disregarding the will of the people of Burma. (5) Since the February 2021 military coup, the Burma military and certain local armed groups have continued to commit crimes and abuses against Rohingya. In Rakhine State, over 600,000 Rohingya, including at least 130,000 confined in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps face heightened risks. The military continues to target Rohingya with laws and policies that criminalize the exercise of human rights, as well as with arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, sexual violence, and murder. (6) On March 21, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Secretary had determined that “members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya”. (7) The United States is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis. Since 2017, the United States Government has provided nearly $2.4 billion in response to the Rohingya crisis, including $1.9 billion to assist Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh. The United Kingdom and Japan, the other leading contributors of humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya crisis, have provided nearly $479 million and $220 million respectively to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. (8) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a June 2023 report that the Burma military’s restrictions on aid access by local and international organizations seeking to respond to Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine State in May 2023 may amount to gross violations of international human rights law, and serious violations of international humanitarian law. (9) According to the World Food Program, since it was forced to cut food rations in March and May 2023, food insecurity has increased for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, “with a staggering 90 per cent of the population lacking access to an adequate diet and over 15 percent of young children suffering from malnutrition”. The World Food Program estimates that it needs another $38 million in funding to fully restore a ration to meet the basic minimum nutritional needs of refugees. (10) Funding cuts and rising commodity prices have exacerbated protection concerns for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, especially with respect to gender-based violence and child protection, worsening health outcomes and fueling unsafe and irregular migration throughout the surrounding region. (11) Combined with rising food insecurity, Rohingya are increasingly unsafe in Bangladesh as a result of growing competition between armed and criminal groups in the refugee camps. These factors have driven thousands of Rohingya to flee to maritime Southeast Asia by boat only to face obstacles from regional navies and growing resentment from local populations. (12) The long, systemic denial of the exercise of certain rights, including education, freedoms of expression, movement, and rights related to nationality have had enduring effects on many Rohingya persons’ mental and physical well-being and perpetuate the risk of future genocidal violence until these root causes are addressed. 3. Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States— (1) to uphold Article I of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which the United States is a party, to prevent the crime of genocide and punish its perpetrators; (2) to prevent and end atrocities committed against Rohingya by addressing the root causes of the genocide committed against them, holding the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, supporting solutions to respect the human rights and uphold the dignity of Rohingya, and to ensure Rohingya involvement and representation in decision making and implementation processes to address these needs; (3) to support the empowerment of Rohingya civilian leadership in diaspora communities, refugee camps in Bangladesh, and inside Burma through consultation and collaboration with Rohingya community representatives; (4) to provide holistic support to the Rohingya community to overcome decades of systematic persecution and discrimination and to best support the desires of all communities in Burma to achieve lasting peace and an inclusive, Federal democracy including through credible transitional justice processes; (5) to collaborate with other countries to pursue and implement coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained measures for upholding the dignity and protecting the human rights of Rohingya; and (6) to engage in a coordinated manner with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees other relevant United Nations agencies, governments, and intergovernmental entities to establish protocols and respond to protection concerns and to prevent and protect Rohingya from further atrocities. 4. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the United States has a moral and legal responsibility to prevent and punish genocide, including against Rohingya; (2) the Secretary of State’s determination of genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya by members of the Burma military in March 2022 was historic and should serve as a clarion call to support Rohingya to overcome decades of systemic persecution, marginalization, and violence; (3) the Rohingya crisis and the broader Burma crisis must be addressed simultaneously, not in sequence; and (4) the United States should encourage other countries to contribute additional assistance and follow United States leadership in protecting Rohingya through humanitarian assistance, political and economic empowerment, accountability for genocide, crimes against humanity, and any other international crimes committed by the Burma military and other armed groups in Burma, and supporting the voluntary resettlement or eventual safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Burma when conditions allow. 5. United States Special Coordinator for Rohingya Atrocities Prevention and Response (a) In general The President is authorized to designate an official of the Department of State at the Under Secretary level to serve as the United States Special Coordinator for Rohingya Atrocities Prevention and Response for a two-year period that may be renewed by the President. The official so appointed may continue to serve in the official’s capacity at the Under Secretary level. (b) Duties The Special Coordinator shall assist in— (1) coordinating the policies of the United States regarding Rohingya with relevant bureaus and offices within the Department of State and other relevant United States Government agencies; and (2) diplomatically engaging with foreign governments and international organizations to advance international coordination and cooperation to support Rohingya. 6. Support for protection efforts and durable solutions with respect to Rohingya (a) In general The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development should, in consultation with the Special Coordinator (if so designated), support efforts to protect Rohingya and prevent further atrocities against Rohingya. (b) Protection efforts In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary and Administrator should seek to engage in crisis response efforts and efforts to maximize the safety, security, and well-being of Rohingya in Burma and throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia, by— (1) supporting Rohingya refugees’ access to international protection as well as international asylum and refugee mechanisms, and preventing indefinite detention and non-refoulement; (2) ensuring Rohingya facing ongoing abuse, including human trafficking and gender-based violence, have access to a range of legal support services, including protection case management and legal and health support; (3) supporting a monitoring mechanism, rapid response team, legal assistance, and communication mechanisms to overcome military-imposed internet and telecommunication restrictions for Rohingya living in Burma; (4) working with governments in the region to strengthen regional mechanisms and overall coordination on lifesaving search and rescue, safe disembarkation, effective receiving and comprehensive assistance for Rohingya refugees; (5) supporting host communities to facilitate a safer, more supportive, and welcoming environment for Rohingya refugees through the provision of technical assistance and cooperation with local organizations and governments; (6) engaging the Government of Bangladesh to establish the necessary mechanisms for Rohingya refugees to file protection claims, and seek accountability by— (A) improving Rohingya refugees’ ability to access justice within Bangladesh through legal aid, simplifying the process for filing cases, facilitating the access of lawyers involved in international legal proceedings involving Rohingya, and enabling Rohingya to travel abroad to participate in legal proceedings in other courts; (B) supporting enhanced coordination among Bangladesh security forces on investigations and accountability; (C) supporting training for Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and any other units providing security for Rohingya refugee camps on humanitarian protection principles and community safety; and (D) encouraging the Government of Bangladesh and other host governments to allow safe houses for Rohingya human rights defenders, as well as defectors, insider witnesses to atrocities against Rohingya and other refugees facing imminent threats; (c) Promoting durable solutions In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary and Administrator should seek to promote durable solutions with respect to Rohingya by— (1) supporting the inclusion of Rohingya across various sectors in Burma and facilitating training and capacity building on atrocity prevention for the National Unity Government (NUG), the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), ethnic armed organizations, and other political stakeholders; (2) in consultation with Rohingya community representatives, including women and civil society leaders, collaborating with and supporting key non-military stakeholders to take preparatory steps for— (A) ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya, which should include those individuals displaced in the 1990s or born as internally displaced persons or refugees to their places of origin in Burma; (B) restoring and protecting Rohingyas’ rights and providing them full and equal citizenship; (C) recognizing Rohingya as an official ethnic group in Burma, and securing equal social and political power-sharing under a Federal democratic constitution; (D) promoting convenings and engagement among Rohingya, non-state actors, civil society groups, and other key stakeholders in Rakhine State to promote trust-building and reconciliation; (E) including Rohingya across administration and governance mechanisms of Burma, including Rakhine State; and (F) developing a comprehensive transitional justice strategy; (3) working with United States allies and partners to broaden resettlement programs and supporting the voluntary resettlement of the most vulnerable individuals within Rohingya populations, as well as defectors, deserters, and insider witnesses participating in justice processes; and (4) supporting repatriation of Rohingya refugees only when conditions are conducive for a safe, voluntary, and sustainable return with full rights restored. 7. Humanitarian assistance and support for Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons (a) In general The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the Special Coordinator (if so designated) and other relevant United States Government agencies, should continue to provide assistance to Rohingya refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities receiving such refugees and persons. (b) Activities supported Assistance provided under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) Protection programming, including interventions focused on Rohingya civil society leaders, human rights defenders, and others threatened by armed groups. (2) Support— (A) to Rohingya civil society and community-based organizations so they can represent themselves. (B) and diplomatic engagement to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to allow the operation of Rohingya-led civil society and community-based organizations in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. (3) Programs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, trafficking, forced marriage, as well as specialized training programs for vulnerable groups. (4) Support for education, including higher education, for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. (5) Support for displaced Rohingya to access livelihoods through vocational training and volunteer programs organized by international organizations and nongovernmental organizations. (6) Support for meeting basic needs, including food, nutrition, healthcare, protection, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene support; (7) Support to Rohingya in Burma, refugee camps in Bangladesh, and the diaspora to preserve Rohingya culture, history, and memory. 8. Promoting accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya in Burma (a) In general The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the Special Coordinator (if so designated) and other relevant United States Government agencies, should take the actions described in subsection (b) to promote accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya in Burma. (b) Actions described The actions described in this subsection are the following: (1) Support comprehensive justice and accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya, including through consultation with and participation by the Rohingya community. (2) Support for the efforts of entities, including the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, in their work to safely collect and preserve evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya, including through open-source research and by cultivating insider, defector, deserter, and survivor witnesses, and to develop the chain of evidence, for potential use in prosecutions in domestic, hybrid, and international courts. (3) Provide assistance, particularly financial and technical assistance, to efforts led by Rohingya to monitor and document evidence to lead, assist, or inform other investigative mechanisms and justice processes. (4) Encourage development of an intergovernmental fund to support reparative justice for Rohingya victims and survivors and identifying sources of funding among other States and within the United States Government that have already been appropriated. (5) Support and monitor an effective remedy and reparations process for Rohingya, especially by engaging with Burma’s civilian leadership and any subsequent democratic leadership in Burma to officially acknowledge genocide and crimes against humanity committed by members of the Burma military, restore Rohingya’s citizenship and equal rights in Burma, and ensure compensation by the Government of Burma and restitution for their land and property, and by providing support, including technical and financial assistance, for efforts to memorialize genocide and crimes against humanity in Burma, particularly those efforts led by the affected communities. (6) Provide support for institutional reform and other guarantees of non-recurrence by civilian leadership in Burma, including the security sector, legislature, and education system, and the inclusion and equal participation of Rohingya in all areas of administration and governance, under an eventual Federal democratic system. (7) Use convening authority to directly bring together various ethnic groups and other related stakeholders in Burma to promote truth, justice, non-recurrence, and reconciliation, to support facilitation of related efforts by civilian leadership in Burma, and to provide both technical and financial support to entities, especially the civil society of Burma, to implement work aimed at strengthening rule of law and initiatives aimed at atrocity and genocide prevention. 9. Report (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes— (1) a description of and an assessment of the effectiveness of the efforts of the United States Government, during the year prior to the submission of such report, to— (A) identify and respond to atrocity risk factors that concern Rohingya; (B) deter future atrocities against Rohingya; (C) respond to the need for humanitarian assistance for and protection of Rohingya; (D) document the nature of and responsibility for atrocity crimes committed against Rohingya; and (E) promote justice and accountability for atrocity crimes committed against Rohingya; (2) a detailed description of the actions taken pursuant to sections 6, 7, and 8; (3) an assessment of the effect of the actions described in paragraph (2) on the advancement of the policies described in section 3; (4) a list of activities and programs initiated pursuant to this Act; (5) the number of Rohingya refugees resettled in the United States in the year preceding the submission of such report, segmented by the country from which such refugees were resettled; (6) the number of Rohingya refugees resettled in countries other than the United States in the year preceding the submission of such report; (7) a description of any new challenges facing Rohingya in Burma or in refugee camps in the year preceding the submission of such report, including an assessment of early warning indicators and risk factors for atrocities; and (8) a list of recommendations to facilitate the implementation of this Act and advance the policies described in section 3, which may include recommended— (A) legislative action; (B) administrative action; and (C) provision of additional resources. (b) Report form (1) Classification The report required under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form and may contain a classified annex. (2) Public availability of information Not later than 45 days after the date on which the appropriate congressional committees received such report, the unclassified portion of such report shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of State. 10. Scholarships (a) In general Subject to the availability of appropriations, for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030, the Secretary of State should distribute to Rohingya who do not live in Burma not fewer than 50 scholarships to attend an institution of higher education in the United States. (b) Scholarship defined In this section, the term scholarship means financial assistance for— (1) tuition and fees required to attend an educational institution, in full or in part; (2) books, supplies, and equipment required for a course at an educational institution; (3) living expenses at an educational institution; and (4) travel expenses to, from, and within the United States for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education. 11. Authorization to ensure sufficient rations The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the Secretary of State are authorized to ensure that Rohingya refugees in refugee camps in Bangladesh receive a ration sufficient to meet the humanitarian minimum standards for food and nutrition needs. 12. Authorization of appropriations (a) General authorizations For each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030, there are authorized to be appropriated, from amounts made available to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq), such sums as may be necessary to carry out sections 6, 7, and 8 of this Act. (b) Specific authorizations of appropriations For each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, there are authorized to be appropriated— (1) $10,000,000 for the Department of State to support atrocity crime investigations, documentation, and casework, transitional justice and accountability mechanisms, witness protection measures, and technical support related to Rohingya; and (2) $8,000,000 for the Conflict Observatory of the Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to establish and support a Burma-focused conflict observatory program that captures, analyzes, and makes widely available evidence of the ongoing atrocities in Burma through the documentation, verification, and dissemination of open-source evidence regarding the actions of the Burma military. 13. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term “appropriate congressional committees” means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. (2) Special Coordinator The term Special Coordinator means the United States Special Coordinator for Rohingya Atrocities Prevention and Response designated by the President pursuant to section 5(a). (3) Genocide The term “genocide” means any offense described in section 1091(a) of title 18, United States Code. (4) Transitional justice The term “transitional justice” means the range of judicial, nonjudicial, formal, informal, retributive, and restorative measures employed by countries transitioning out of armed conflict or repressive regimes or employed by the international community through international justice mechanisms, to redress past or ongoing atrocities and to promote long-term, sustainable peace.