The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday opened hearings in a landmark case accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against its mostly Muslim Rohingya minority.
The case was filed by The Gambia in 2019 at the UN’s top court, two years after a military crackdown forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh. The hearings are scheduled to run for three weeks, concluding on January 29.
“The ICJ must secure justice for the persecuted Rohingya. Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Asma Begum, who has lived in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district since fleeing Myanmar in 2017.
The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, have lived for centuries in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state but were stripped of citizenship in the 1980s and have since faced decades of systematic discrimination and persecution.
In 2017, an estimated 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following a military offensive that the United Nations later described as a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing.” Today, around 1.3 million Rohingya live across 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, making it the world’s largest refugee settlement.
“We witnessed horrific acts such as arson, killings and rape in 2017 and were forced to flee,” Begum told Arab News. “I believe the ICJ verdict will pave the way for our return to our homeland. The world should not forget us.”
A UN fact-finding mission concluded that the 2017 military campaign included “genocidal acts,” an allegation rejected by Myanmar, which maintains that the operation was aimed at clearing militants.
For many refugees, the opening of the case has renewed hopes of justice and eventual repatriation.
“We have the right to live with dignity,” said Syed Ahmed, who fled Myanmar in 2017 and has since raised his four children in the Kutupalong camp. “I want to return to my ancestral land so my children can reconnect with their roots and build their future.”
Despite the long wait, Ahmed said he remains optimistic that those responsible will be held accountable through the ICJ process, adding that the verdict could set an important international precedent.
The Myanmar case is the first genocide case to be taken up by the ICJ in more than a decade. Legal experts say its outcome could influence how the court approaches other genocide-related cases currently before it.
“The momentum of this case sends a strong signal to the international community about accountability for crimes against humanity,” said Nur Khan, a Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist. “The ICJ’s role will be critical in shaping future responses to allegations of genocide worldwide.”
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