Gambia’s genocide case against Myanmar opens in The Hague

Voice of America

The International Court of Justice in the Hague opened a three day hearing on Tuesday to try accusations of genocide brought against Myanmar for the military’s crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in 2017. 

The hearing follows a suit filed by Gambia at the United Nations court in the Netherlands.  The suit was filed on behalf of the 57 members of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, which also includes Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and many other West African nations. Gambia accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. 

During the August 2017 military attacks, more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled over the border into Bangladesh. This followed a scorched earth campaign by the Myanmar army, which was itself responding to Rohingya attacks on security posts in the western state of Rakhine. A U.N. investigation concluded the attacks were carried out “with genocidal intent.” There have been confirmed accounts of public massacres, extrajudicial killings, gang rapes, and the destruction of entire villages. 

In his opening statement, Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou urged the court “All that The Gambia asks is that you tell Myanmar to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity.” 

Myanmar will be defended by its foreign minister and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s defence rests on the claim that the army was specifically targeting Rohingya militants and will be put to the court today. 

Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy stand against Myanmar’s incumbent military junta. She was placed under house arrest for 15 years until freed in 2010. Her reputation amongst the international community as an icon of democracy and human rights is now significantly deteriorated by the defence of Myanmar’s actions against Rohingya muslims. 

The Myanmar government officially considers Rohingya muslims illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, rendering the group effectively stateless. The Rohingya were excluded from the 1982 citizenship law which conferred full legal status to any member of a government-recognised ethnic group.