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ICJ Opens Hearings in Gambia’s Genocide Case Against Myanmar Over Rohingya

The proceedings could shape how the UN court defines genocide.

Overview

  • Gambia’s justice minister told judges Myanmar used horrific violence to try to destroy the Rohingya community.
  • The West African nation filed the case in November 2019 under the Genocide Convention after a 2017 military crackdown drove at least 730,000 people into Bangladesh.
  • UNHCR estimates more than one million Rohingya now live in makeshift camps in Bangladesh after killings, rapes and arson.
  • Myanmar denies genocide and describes its operations as a lawful counterterrorism response to militant attacks.
  • Hearings are scheduled for three weeks, with a distant ruling expected and potential ripple effects for South Africa’s separate ICJ case concerning Israel and Gaza.