On February 13, 2025, a federal criminal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina, issued arrest warrants for 25 senior Myanmar officials for their role in genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya. Among those named are current junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, former President Htin Kyaw, and deputy junta chief Soe Win. This was a historic step in international justice, forcing accountability for one of the most heinous crimes of the 21st century.

Yet, five days later, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar issued a response that is a master class in evasion, selective memory, and political expediency. It tries to rewrite history, absolve civilian leaders of responsibility, and pressure the Rohingya into accepting a limited version of justice – all while framing its own political survival as the higher moral imperative.

The NUG, composed largely of former National League for Democracy (NLD) officials, faced an impossible dilemma. Rejecting Aung San Suu Kyi’s indictment would mean dismissing Rohingya-led justice efforts, while accepting it would risk alienating their base and reshaping the legacy of Suu Kyi, the NLD’s founder and leader. In the end, the NUG chose to drive a coach and horses through the very idea of Rohingya-led justice efforts.

BROUK’s Quiet Cover-up

Before the NUG even put out a statement, however, the drama had already begun elsewhere. The Burmese Rohingya Organization U.K. (BROUK) – the very group that initiated this case – deliberately tried to obscure the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi was among those facing an arrest warrant. Their first press release misleadingly stated, “Those named in the court’s request include 23 Myanmar military officials.”

This carefully avoided mentioning that the actual number of arrest warrants was 25 – including two civilian leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi and Htin Kyaw. Why on earth would a Rohingya organization do that? Surely, they counted the warrants as a major achievement? A press release highlighting Aung San Suu Kyi as a target of an Interpol Red Notice would have had far more impact than any other name. Instead, they buried it.

When the confusion became apparent, BROUK quietly updated their press release – not with an announcement or clarification, but with a stealth edit confirming that Suu Kyi and Htin Kyaw were indeed indicted.

This wasn’t an accident. It was a calculated act of narrative control. Even worse,........

© The Diplomat