The ICJ begins historic genocide hearings against Myanmar for Rohingya crimes

The International Court of Justice has begun historic hearings regarding Myanmar’s alleged genocide against the Rohingya. Following the 2017 military crackdown, over 1.1 million refugees remain in Bangladesh, surviving in camps while waiting for legal accountability.
The case, brought by The Gambia, details systematic violence and "genocidal intent" by the Myanmar military. While the junta claims these were security operations, survivors and international experts present harrowing evidence of mass atrocities. This landmark trial represents a vital hope for the Rohingya to regain their citizenship, safety, and the right to return home in peace. Here is a look at the reactions from the Rohingya refugees and their supporters.

#Rohingya #Myanmar #ICJ #Genocide #TheGambia #HumanRights #Justice #Bangladesh #CoxsBazar #InternationalLaw #UnitedNations #RefugeeCrisis #WorldCourt #Humanity #EndImpunity

0:00 ICJ begins genocide hearings
Myanmar’s military junta has been accused in the International Court of Justice of deliberately targeting the Rohingya minority with "horrific violence" in a bid to destroy the community. The Gambia brought the case accusing Myanmar of breaching the 1948 #Genocide Convention during a crackdown in 2017.

0:55 Gambia’s case against Myanmar
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled violence by the Myanmar army and #buddhist militias, escaping to neighbouring Bangladesh and bringing harrowing accounts of mass rape, arson and murder. Today, 1.17 million Rohingya live crammed into dilapidated camps spread over 8,000 acres in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.

01:56 Inside Cox’s Bazar
A final decision could take months or even years, and while the ICJ has no means of enforcing its decisions, a ruling in favour of The Gambia would heap more political pressure on Myanmar. Under the Genocide Convention, any country can file a case at the ICJ against any other it believes is in breach of the treaty. Myanmar has always maintained the crackdown by its armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, was justified to root out #rohingya insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead. But experts say the evidence points to genocide.

03:21 Evidence of military operations
In 2020, the ICJ said Myanmar must take "all measures within its power" to halt any acts prohibited in the 1948 #UN Genocide Convention. These acts included "killing members of the group" and "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” The United States officially declared that the violence amounted to genocide in 2022, three years after a UN team said Myanmar harboured "genocidal intent" towards the Rohingya.

04:23 Myanmar's genocidal intent
The ICJ is not the only court looking into possible genocide against the Rohingya -- other cases are underway at the International Criminal Court and in #Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Outside the court, Tun Khin, president of the #Burmese Rohingya Organisation called for justice.

05:20 Global universal jurisdiction reactions
For many of the Rohingyas living in the camps, the hearings happening miles away in The #Hague are a rare acknowledgement of long-ignored suffering. While the ICJ has no way to enforce any judgment it might make, the Rohingya, quietly but firmly hope that the UN case may, someday, bring them real change.

06:17 Road to repatriation
The Rohingya have faced extreme horrors in the hands of the militia. Eyewitnesses have claimed that soldiers had laid siege to villages, butchered the men, and tortured the #women. Many villages were burnt and razed to the ground. Thousands have escaped on boats and have often lost their lives at sea. The #evidence is available in abundance, but justice remains a distant prospect. Yet the Rohingya survivors hope for change.

07:43 Bleak future for refugees
More than one million Rohingya now live in dozens of camps in Cox’s Bazar, surviving on aid from charity groups. With no visible efforts for repatriation, little scope for education of children, unemployment, and criminal activities like militancy, #trafficking of humans, #drugs, and arms, most refugees see a bleak #future ahead of them. Their only hope is international action that brings the perpetrators of a well-planned and executed genocide to #justice.

08:39 Failed repatriation and hope

Follow UCANews on the following handles
TikTok:   / uca.news  
Twitter:   / ucanews  
Instagram:   / uca.news  
Facebook:   / ucanews  
Pinterest:   / ucanews  
For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit https://www.ucanews.com/
Help us to produce more free content.

Donate here: https://bit.ly/3oQ7dIw

Track: Chronos
Track: Asklepios
Track: The Secrets We Kept
Track: Outdated Time


by https://www.fiftysounds.com