Hearings open at UN court in The Gambia case against Myanmar genocide

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) started its three day hearing on Tuesday into accusations of genocide brought against Myanmar by The Gambia. The trial investigates the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in the country’s Rahkine state.

The hearings at the United Nations court in The Hague are the result of a lawsuit filed last month by The Gambia, on behalf of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Myanmar stands accused of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.

During the military crackdown, an estimated 700,000 Rohingya fled across the border into neighbouring Bangladesh. The Myanmar military is alleged to have carried out a scorched earth campaign in response to Rohingya militants’ attacks on security posts in Rahkine state. A United Nations investigation concluded that the campaign was carried out “with genocidal intent”.

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 at the ICJ by foreign minister and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her defence is expected to rest on the claim that the military was targeting Rohingya militants only.

Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her pro-democracy stand against Myanmar’s then-ruling military junta. She was placed under house arrest for 15 years until freed in 2010. Her defence of the military’s actions against Rohingya Muslims has tarnished her reputation as a paragon of democracy and human rights.