The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The decision comes despite de facto leader Aung San Suu kyi defending her Country against the accusations in person in December 2019.
Thousands of Rohingya died and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh during an army crackdown in 2017. Reports say UN investigators have warned that genocidal actions could recur.
The ICJ case, lodged by the African Muslim-majority Nation of the Gambia, called for emergency measures to be taken against the Myanmar military until a fuller investigation could be launched.
Myanmar has always insisted that it’s military campaign was waged to tackle an extremist threat in Rakhine state. In her defence statement at the court in the Hague, Ms. Suu kyi described the violence as an “internal armed conflict” triggered by Rohingya militant attacks on Government security posts.
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The panel of 17 judges at the ICJ this Thursday voted unanimously to order Myanmar to take “all measures within its power” to prevent genocide.
The measures are binding, but the Court has no means of enforcing them.
