Press Release
ARNC Condemns Illegitimate Presidency of Min Aung Hlaing
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) unequivocally condemns the appointment of Min Aung Hlaing as President of Myanmar by a military-dominated parliament produced through a so-called election that has been widely condemned by the United Nations, democratic governments, and independent observers as a sham designed to legitimize continued military rule. This is not a democratic transition, but a deliberate attempt to entrench military rule under the guise of civilian governance.
The parliamentary process that elevated Min Aung Hlaing to the presidency was fundamentally illegitimate. It was conducted within a system structurally controlled by the military, where 25% of seats are unelected and reserved for serving officers. Opposition parties were banned or boycotted, and the outcome was predetermined by military in favor of their own actors and cronies. The overwhelming victory secured by Min Aung Hlaing makes the so-called election a subject of ridicule for both national and international communities, reflecting not the will of the people but the consolidation of power by force.
Min Aung Hlaing’s elevation to the presidency comes despite overwhelming evidence of his responsibility for some of the gravest crimes of the 21st century. Under his command, Myanmar military with support from extremist elements within the Rakhine community carried out the 2016/2017 campaign against the Rohingya people which has resulted in mass killings, systematic sexual violence, the burning of hundreds of villages, and the forced displacement of over one million Rohingya into Bangladesh and tens of thousands in other neighboring countries.
Today, he stands not as a legitimate head of state, but as an alleged perpetrator of genocide and crimes against humanity. He faces the risk of arrest should he set foot in a democratic country, because on February 13, 2025, a federal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina issued international arrest warrants against him and other senior officials under the principle of universal jurisdiction for genocide and crimes against humanity.
In November 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed an application for an arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity, including deportation and persecution of the Rohingya.
These legal actions affirm what victims have long known as there is no legitimacy in impunity.
Furthermore, Min Aung Hlaing’s presidency follows five years of devastating civil war triggered by his illegal coup in 2021. Thousands of innocents have been killed, millions displaced. Myanmar today stands as a nation in collapse under military tyranny.
The ARNC rejects unequivocally the legitimacy of the 2026 election, the authority of the military-controlled parliament to appoint Min Aung Hlaing as president of the country. We reaffirm that any political structure built upon violence, exclusion, and impunity cannot represent the people of Myanmar.
We stand in solidarity with all oppressed people across Myanmar, including pro-democracy forces, in their struggle to dismantle military dictatorship and establish a genuine federal democratic union grounded in justice, accountability, and human rights.
The fact that Min Aung Hlaing has been emboldened to assume the presidency despite his record of grave crimes is a direct consequence of the international community’s silence and failure to take meaningful action. This continued inaction has enabled impunity and prolonged suffering across Myanmar.
Today, much of Arakan State is effectively under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), which has been persecuting Rohingya survivors of genocide even with more brutality. These actions appear driven by a deliberate intent to expel and eradicate the remaining Rohingya population from their ancestral land, in pursuit of an Arakan State devoid of Rohingya presence.
We reiterate that bringing Min Aung Hlaing and other perpetrators to justice is of paramount importance and must not be delayed if there is any genuine commitment to preventing Myanmar from becoming a failed state and to stopping the erasure of Rohingya from Arakan State.
Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) calls upon the international community to:
- Refuse recognition of Min Aung Hlaing’s presidency
- Support ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice concerning genocide against Rohingya community.
- Ensure enforcement of international arrest warrants, including those issued by Argentine courts
- Increase coordinated pressure, including sanctions and accountability mechanisms, against the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA).
- Urgent call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Myanmar. Both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army are failing to comply with the provisional measures to prevent genocide ordered by the International Court of Justice.
Justice for the Rohingya and all victims in Myanmar cannot be delayed, denied, or negotiated away.
For more information, please contact:
- Tun Khin: +44 78 8871 4866
- Nay San Lwin: +49 176 6213 9138
- Khairul Amin: +47 9 242 8989
