Nine years after the deadly operations of 2017 that drove large numbers of Rohingya from their homes, members of the community are still leaving Myanmar amid ongoing insecurity and persecution. The persistence of flight has transformed the question of justice from one focused solely on past atrocities into a longer-term struggle over accountability, memory and the possibility of return.
If the Rohingya were to be entirely absent from Myanmar, the practical and moral tasks of justice would become more complex. Restitution and safe, voluntary return — often framed as central elements of redress for forced displacement — would not be immediately meaningful if there were no communities left in place to receive land or exercise restored rights. At the same time, the absence of survivors on the ground would not remove the obligation to investigate crimes, to hold perpetrators to account and to make reparations for harm.
Barriers to meaningful redress would include the erosion of evidence on the ground, the dispersal of witnesses across borders, and political resistance within Myanmar to any measures that acknowledge wrongdoing. In such a context, international mechanisms for investigation and accountability — including documentation efforts, independent inquiries and judicial processes conducted abroad or in international courts — would take on heightened importance, as would ways to preserve the historical record and the testimonies of survivors in exile.
Paths to justice would therefore need to be multi‑faceted. Criminal accountability could proceed through international or foreign courts where jurisdiction allows, while truth‑seeking processes and public documentation could help establish patterns of abuse and inform reparations programs. Reparations could be designed for refugees and diaspora communities, addressing loss of life, property and livelihood as well as the harms of statelessness. Institutional reform and guarantees of non‑recurrence — including citizenship rights, protections against discrimination and security sector reform — would be essential prerequisites for any sustainable resolution.
Beyond legal remedies, advocates stress the role of recognition and memory. Even in the absence of a domestic Rohingya population, commemorations, archives and educational initiatives can counter erasure and keep pressure on governments and international bodies to pursue accountability. Ultimately, the question of what justice would look like in a Myanmar without Rohingya underscores that legal processes and reparative measures must be paired with political will and sustained international engagement to prevent further loss and uphold victims’ rights.