cleansing against the Rohingya. Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable . He also said the violence has a number of characteristics of certainly crimes against humanity . Despite repeated requests from Members of Congress, as well as the result of its own investigation (the executive summary of which was released on September 17, 2018), the Department has declined to make a determination if the atrocities in Rakhine State constitute genocide or crimes against humanity. (9) On December 12, 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters reporters covering the crisis in Rakhine State, were entrapped, arrested, and charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, continuing a trend of restricting media and free speech and attempting to thwart coverage of the events in Rakhine State. (10) Another barrier to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Rakhine State is the refusal of the Government of Burma to reinstate the full citizenship of the Rohingya, as well as the Government’s unwillingness to consider the repeal of or amendments to the Citizenship Act of 1982 that stripped the Rohingya of their full citizenship. (11) During 2018, the ongoing conflict in Burma escalated in Kachin and Shan States, reignited in Karen (Kayin) State, and spread into Chin and Rakhine States. Along with the increase in fighting between Burma’s security forces and several ethnic armed organizations, there was a rise in allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated by Burmese security forces in these conflict areas. (12) In April 2018, thousands of civilians fled fighting between the military and ethnic armed groups in Kachin State, prompting peaceful demonstrations. In December 2018, three prominent activist in Kachin State, Lum Zawng, Nang Pu and Zau Jet were convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment for defaming the military. (13) On June 6, 2018, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the United Nations Development Programme signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding