Members of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority prayed for justice on the eve of hearings at the U.N.'s International Court of Justice, during which
Members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority prayed for justice on the eve of hearings at the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, during which leader Aung San Suu Kyi will defend the country against genocide charges.
During three days of court proceedings, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, is expected to repeat denials of genocide. This week’s proceedings before a panel of 17 judges will not deal with the core allegation of genocide, but Gambia has requested a court order for Myanmar to halt any activity that may aggravate the dispute. The tribunal, also known as the World Court, has no enforcement powers, but its rulings are final and have significant legal weight.
The Myanmar government has long been blamed for genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya community in western Rakhine State. Myanmar vehemently denies allegations of genocide. The exodus of Rohingya began in August 2017 after Myanmar security forces launched a brutal crackdown following attacks by an insurgent group on guard posts. The report wrapping up two years of documentation of human rights violations by security forces revealed that counterinsurgency operations in 2017 included “genocidal acts.” The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the U.N., of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Rohingya Muslims are the most persecuted minority in the world, according to U.N. figures, and continue to suffer from oppression under the Myanmar government, the army and Buddhist extremists.