Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar A/RES/74/246 continued de-escalation and an enduring ceasefire, best achieved by dialogue between all parties, as a necessary means of improving the human rights situation, Reiterating its grave concern that, in spite of the fact that Rohingya Muslims lived in Myanmar for generations prior to the independence of Myanmar, they were made stateless by the enactment of the 1982 Citizenship Law and were eventually disenfranchised, in 2015, from the electoral process, Reaffirming that the denial of citizenship status and related rights to Rohingya Muslims and others, including voting rights, is a serious human rights concern, Reiterating its deep distress at reports that unarmed individuals in Rakhine State have been and continue to be subjected to the excessive use of force and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the military and security and armed forces, including extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings, systematic rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and government seizure of Rohingya lands from which Rohingya Muslims were evicted and their homes destroyed, and remaining concerned by the previous large-scale destruction of homes and systematic evictions in northern Rakhine State, including the use of arson and violence, as well as the unlawful use of force by non-State actors, Recalling the responsibility of States to comply with their relevant obligations, to prosecute those responsible for violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international criminal law and international refugee law, as well as abuses of human rights, and to provide an effective remedy to any person whose rights have been violated, with a view to ending impunity, Reiterating the urgent need to ensure that all those responsible for crimes related to violations and abuses of international law throughout Myanmar, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, are held to account through credible and independent national, regional or international justice mechanisms, while recalling the authority of the Security Council in this regard, Recalling the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry by the Government of Myanmar on 30 July 2018 with a view to ensuring accountability for the human rights violations and abuses committed in Rakhine State, reiterating that the commission should conduct its work with independence, impartiality, transparency and objectivity, and encouraging the commission to issue an initial report and to cooperate with all relevant United Nations mandate holders, Recalling also some steps taken by the Government of Myanmar to create the conditions necessary for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons to return to their places of origin or to a place of their choice voluntarily, in safety and dignity, but regretting, however, that the situation has not improved in Rakhine St ate to create the conditions necessary for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons to return to their places of origin voluntarily, safely and with dignity, Expressing concern that in northern Rakhine State, the implementation of policies under the guise of economic development and reconstruction by the Government of Myanmar and the heavy militarization of the area have resulted in the alteration of the demographic structure, which further prevents the members of the displaced Rohingya Muslim population from returning to Rakhine State, Re-emphasizing the right of all refugees and the importance of internally displaced persons being able to return home in safety and dignity and in a voluntary and sustainable manner, 19-22672 3/8