Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has condemned the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and called on the country's government and its leader, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, to no longer remain silent.

Jolie on Sunday told weekly Welt am Sonntag: "It's absolutely clear that the violence by the army needs to stop and that the return of the refugees has to be permitted - and that the Rohingya should be given civil rights."

Jolie added: "We all wish that Aung San Suu Kyi will in this situation be the voice of human rights."

Suu Kyi has been harshly criticized for not condemning the violence.

Rohingya have faced decades of persecution by the majority Buddhist population in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship. The current crisis that has led more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh in the past three weeks.