The Hague (TDI): The United Nations’ top court is set to hear a landmark case on Monday accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group.
This will be the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) first full genocide trial in over a decade. Experts say the ruling could have far-reaching implications, potentially influencing other genocide cases, including South Africa’s claim against Israel over the conflict in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Myanmar has denied all allegations of genocide. “The case is likely to set critical precedents for defining genocide, proving violations, and determining remedies,” said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, in comments to Reuters.
The case was filed by Gambia in 2019, accusing Myanmar’s military of systematic atrocities against the Rohingya in Rakhine State. During a 2017 military offensive, more than 730,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, reporting killings, mass rape, and destruction of villages.
A UN fact-finding mission described the 2017 military operations as involving “genocidal acts.” Myanmar, however, rejected the findings, claiming the campaign was a legitimate counter-terrorism effort against attacks by Muslim militants.
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During preliminary ICJ hearings in 2019, Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi dismissed the allegations as “incomplete and misleading.”
The upcoming hearings will mark the first time Rohingya victims will testify at an international court. For privacy and safety reasons, these sessions will be closed to the public and the media. The hearings are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Monday and will run for three weeks.
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Myanmar has faced further instability since a 2021 military coup that toppled the civilian government and triggered nationwide armed resistance against crackdowns on pro-democracy protests. The country is currently holding phased elections, which the UN, some Western governments, and human rights organizations have criticized as neither free nor fair.
