London, UK, October 2, 2025—The Burma Human Rights Network today releases "You will have to draw pictures to describe us: The Genocidal Process and the Plight of Myanmar’s Muslims," a comprehensive report documenting a state-engineered campaign of persecution against Muslim populations across Burma spanning from 1962 Ne Win coup the power to the present day.
The investigation reveals that Burma's military junta is advancing a decades-long genocidal process against around 15% Muslims population of the 55 million total population of Burma. There are six major Muslim ethnic groups exist in Burma – Pathi, Rohingya, Pashu, Kaman, Panthay, and Myaydu. This systematic persecution spans military dictatorships as well as civilian rule, and has accelerated since the 2021 coup.
Through extensive field documentation and analysis of military publications, the report demonstrates how successive governments have implemented laws, policies, and propaganda campaigns designed to isolate and destroy Muslim communities. Two military documents—"The Fear of Extinction of the Race" (1989) and "Methods to Protect Against Extinction of the Race" (2008)—explicitly portray Muslims as existential threats and prescribe mobilization strategies to eradicate Muslim minorities from Burma.
The 1982 Citizenship Law, 2015 "Race and Religion Protection" laws, discriminatory census practices, and state propaganda have systematically stripped Muslims of citizenship, organized society against them, produced statelessness among Myanmar Muslim along Thailand-Burma border and confined 600,000 Rohingya in open-air detention camps. The rise of extremist Buddhist nationalist movements such as 969 and Ma Ba Tha, "Muslim-free" zones, and proxy militias demonstrate coordinated state persecution.
Burma's authorities are implementing eight of ten recognized stages of genocide: classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, and persecution. Extermination and denial have already targeted Rohingya populations in 2017.
This is genocide by design—built over decades through law, bureaucracy, and propaganda. Without immediate intervention, systematic persecution will escalate to mass physical destruction.
“This is genocide by design, built through law, bureaucracy, and propaganda over decades and accelerated since the coup,” said Kyaw Win, Executive Director of BHRN. “Stripping Muslims of equal citizenship, erasing identities in state records, confining communities, and inciting violence are not isolated abuses. They are methods of group destruction. Governments should cut the junta’s access to money, arms, and aviation fuel, secure cross-border humanitarian access, and support accountability, including proceedings before the International Court of Justice and universal-jurisdiction cases, until rights are restored and survivors obtain justice.”
We demand urgent international action:
Cut the junta's lifelines: States must impose arms embargos, freeze assets, and halt aviation fuel supplies enabling military operations.
Ensure accountability: Support International Court of Justice proceedings, universal jurisdiction prosecutions, and UN evidence-gathering mechanisms.
Protect communities: Expand cross-border humanitarian access, halt forced repatriations, and resource protection services for at-risk populations.
Press Burma's opposition: The National Unity Government must commit to equal citizenship, dismantle discriminatory laws, include Muslim representatives, protect communities under their influence, and promote an inclusive vision for Burma’s future.
The infrastructure for genocide is complete. The legal framework exists. Social mobilization is underway. The international community cannot wait for mass killings to begin.
We document this genocidal process as an urgent call to action. Burma's Muslims have survived decades of systematic persecution, but without decisive international intervention, these communities will indeed become visible only in pictures.
Organisation’s Background
BHRN is based in London and operates across Burma/Myanmar working for human rights, minority rights and religious freedom in the country. BHRN has played a crucial role in advocating for human rights and religious freedom with politicians and world leaders.
Media Enquiries
Please contact:
Kyaw Win
Executive Director
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
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T: +44(0) 740 345 2378
Ye Min
Editor
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
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T: +66(0) 994 942 358
BHRN's Full Report PDF File
