Link to Article: “‘Important opportunity’: Myanmar Rohingya genocide case to resume“
Years after military attacks and violence began targeting the Rohingya Muslim people of Myanmar in 2017, the International Court of Justice (or ICJ) has begun proceedings to hear the case, which was brought to the court by The Gambia.
The issue is more pressing now than ever after a coup took place in the country in 2021, giving the case “added urgency.” The UN strongly condemned the events, claiming that they had genocidal intent, and called for the prosecution of Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing and five military generals.
Now, there is controversy over who will be representing the state at the ICJ. After the military coup, it is unclear whether the junta or the ousted civilian National Unity Government will be the ones to represent, with Myanmar’s population strongly opposing the junta.
When the Myanmar military began targeting the Rohingya Muslim population back in 2017, they launched full-scale attacks, burning downtowns, as well as having killed, raped, and abused the civilians. This led to a mass migration of the Rohingya, with many of them fleeing to Bangladesh. It is incredibly sad that these events still occur in today’s world, and will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact and divide in Myanmar.
After their formal government was overthrown last year, Myanmar has been primarily ruled by the military, which is responsible for the human rights abuses against the Rohingya citizens. The formal leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was taken out of power over claims of fraud and dictatorship, but the alternative hasn’t proven to be any better. At the moment, it is unknown what will happen with the government, but it is clear that it doesn’t have much of Myanmar’s support.
Recently in class, we have been discussing human rights, international law, and the ICJ. This event is a great example of all three. The mistreatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is a prominent case of current human rights violations. Because the case has just started to be reviewed within the ICJ, it is unclear what the ruling has been, and Myanmar hasn’t released any statements regarding their preliminary objections. The case was originally brought to the court by The Gambia, as the country believed that Myanmar violated the guidelines it agreed to in the Geneva Convention in 1948.