Legal Definitions - ethnic cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is a term used to describe the forced and systematic removal of a particular ethnic group from a specific area. This is usually done by taking away their property, ordering or allowing mass murders and rapes, and expelling the survivors. The goal of ethnic cleansing is to drive all members of the targeted group out of the territory. However, in practice, ethnic cleansing often leads to genocide because mass murder is a common characteristic of both.

One example of ethnic cleansing is the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The Hutu majority government targeted the Tutsi minority, resulting in the deaths of approximately 800,000 people. The government encouraged and organized mass killings, and many Tutsi women were raped as a way to humiliate and degrade them.

Another example is the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The government has been accused of committing mass killings, burning villages, and forcing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to neighboring countries.

These examples illustrate how ethnic cleansing involves the deliberate targeting of a specific ethnic group and the use of violence and intimidation to force them out of a particular area. It is a violation of human rights and can lead to devastating consequences for the targeted group.