International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar

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Title: View From The Neighbourhood: ICJ on Rohingyas
Sub-title: A weekly look at the public conversations shaping ideas beyond borders — in the Subcontinent. Curated by Asad Ali
Description: "The editorial again pointedly ends by saying that since “What Bangladesh has been saying has found a voice at the World Court, we once again appeal to the entire world to step up its effort to assist Bangladesh in protecting the Rohingyas, and to hold Myanmar accountable for its many crimes that must not be ignored any longer.” The grim situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar and the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), The Hague — ordering Myanmar to urgently take “provisional” measures to protect the Rohingya from violence — is highlighted in an editorial in Daily Star. It recounts the ICJ verdict to justify “what Bangladesh has been saying at the top of its voice”. The editorial, right at the outset, says, “We hope the whole world is listening at last.” It then goes about putting into perspective the Rohingya crisis and Myanmar’s inability to deal with it in a humane manner: “Declaring there is prima facie evidence of breaches of the 1948 genocide convention, the court found that the Rohingyas remaining in Myanmar were “extremely vulnerable” to violence at the hands of Myanmar’s military. And, therefore, the panel of 17 judges, in its unanimous ruling, asked Myanmar to report back to it within four months on the actions it has taken to prevent any serious harm being done to the Rohingyas and every six months thenceforth.” The editorial goes on to say that, “We owe a debt of gratitude to Gambia for bringing this matter to the attention of the ICJ. Despite the fact that the ruling dealt only with the Gambia’s request for so-called preliminary measures, the equivalent of a restraining order for states —not the court’s final decision — it nevertheless could pave the way for Myanmar to finally be held accountable for its atrocities against the Rohingyas.”..."
Source/publisher: "The Indian Express" (India)
Date of publication: 2020-01-27
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-31
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Title: ICJ, finally, acts on the Rohingyas of Myanmar | Opinion
Description: "The inability of international law to effectively address situations of mass human rights atrocities, in particular genocide, within States has been the source of much consternation for international lawyers. The term genocide, deriving from the Greek prefix genos meaning race or tribe and the Latin suffix cide meaning killing, was coined by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944, in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It was soon codified as an independent crime under the 1948 United Nations Convention, acceded to by around 152 states. However, in over 70 years of operation of the Convention, the record of establishing State responsibility for the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide has been unsatisfactory, illustrated by well-documented failures in Cambodia, Rwanda and Yugoslavia. However, in a significant ruling on the Rohingya issue, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) took tentative steps towards remedying In its preliminary judgment, the ICJ unanimously granted provisional measures, at the request of Gambia, directing Myanmar to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts, including by any persons subject to its direction, control or influence, which constitute genocide under the convention in relation to the Rohingya people in its territory; and take all measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to the allegation of genocide. More strikingly, the ICJ sought to oversee the implementation of its provisional measures, directing Myanmar to submit a report to the court on all measures taken to give effect to the order, within four months from the date of the order, and thereafter every six months until the final decision.its otherwise unenviable record of adjudicating allegations of genocide..."
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Source/publisher: "Hindustan Times " (India)
Date of publication: 2020-01-27
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-30
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Title: This tiny African country got the U.N.’s top court to investigate Myanmar for genocide
Sub-title: Why would Gambia step up for the Muslim minority Rohingya thousands of miles away?
Description: "On Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous ruling that ordered Myanmar to “take all measures within its power” to protect its ethnic minority Rohingya population from genocide. The case — against which Myanmar’s civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, argued unsuccessfully — ended up in front of the ICJ because of a tiny African country thousands of miles away. Here’s what you need to know about this story. How the case got started The case before the ICJ started a few weeks ago, when Gambia accused Myanmar of violating the United Nations’ 1948 Convention on Genocide. Suu Kyi flew to The Hague to defend her country, arguing that her government’s actions were legitimate counterinsurgency efforts against rebels in Rakhine state. Gambia requested immediate measures to prevent further harm to the Rohingya. Last week’s ruling was the ICJ’s response. The ICJ has not yet ruled whether genocide has been committed. The court demanded that Myanmar report back within four months on what steps it has taken and preserve any evidence relevant to the genocide case..."
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Source/publisher: "The Washington Post" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-29
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-30
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Title: U.N. Court’s Order on Rohingya Is Cheered, but Will Myanmar Comply?
Description: "The surprisingly strong ruling against Myanmar by the United Nations’ top court this week is sure to increase international pressure on the country to protect its Muslim Rohingya minority, who critics say have been the victims of a government-sanctioned genocide. But on Friday — a day after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya and report back regularly on the steps it has taken to do so — it was still unclear what the country’s response would be. The government has said almost nothing about the ruling, except to deny that the widely documented killing and persecution of the Rohingya by Myanmar’s military amounted to genocide. Rights lawyers and an attorney for the African nation of Gambia, which brought the case, said the unanimous decision by the 15-judge panel had gone beyond even what Gambia had asked for. Myanmar and Gambia were each allowed to appoint a member of the panel, and even Myanmar’s choice — Claus Kress, a German law professor — sided with Gambia..."
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Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-30
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Title: ICJ Orders Preliminary Relief in Myanmar Genocide Case
Description: "For the first time, a court has ordered Myanmar to take actions to protect the Rohingya. Last Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nation’s highest court, issued an order in a case brought against Myanmar by Gambia claiming violations of the Genocide Convention. For more on Gambia’s filing in this case, as well as other efforts to bring accountability for the crimes against the Rohingya, see my previous post for Just Security here. Preceding its decision, the ICJ held oral arguments concerning Gambia’s request for what are known as “provisional measures” in early December. A request for provisional measures is in some ways comparable to a request for a preliminary injunction in U.S. courts. A party is requesting that the court issue an order to prevent further harm while the case is proceeding, which can be particularly important at the ICJ where cases can take years to conclude. A request for provisional measures typically comes early in the case, and well before the record is fully developed and the issues can be judged on their merit. However, the standard of proof for granting provisional measures is that of a prima facie showing, considerably less than that required for final judgment. In theory, determinations made at the provisional measures stage have no bearing on the ultimate decision reached on those issues later. While a request for provisional measures is not uncommon, what made the December oral arguments extraordinary is that Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and the de facto head of Myanmar (albeit with the military retaining a great deal of power) chose to act as the “agent” for Myanmar. This meant she would be leading the delegation and defending Myanmar in court. Once a symbol for human rights, she had already been widely criticized for her actions and inactions in regards to the Rohingya people..."
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Source/publisher: "Just Security"
Date of publication: 2020-01-28
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-29
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: Government rejects ICJ ruling
Sub-title: Myanmar has responded defiantly to a ruling by the UN's top court ordering measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
Description: "The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it presented a "distorted picture of the situation". Thousands of Rohingya died and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh during an army crackdown in 2017. The measures imposed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are binding and not subject to appeal. However the ICJ has no way of enforcing them. The case was lodged by the African Muslim majority nation of The Gambia. The ruling warned that genocidal actions could recur. The man who took Aung San Suu Kyi to the world court Myanmar Rohingya: What you need to know The Lady who fell from grace Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its own commission, the Independent Commission of Enquiry, found that there had been no genocide in Rakhine state. However it did say that war crimes had occurred, and were being investigated and prosecuted by Myanmar's national criminal justice system. It also blamed condemnation by "human rights actors" for affecting Myanmar's bilateral relations with some countries. "This has hampered Myanmar's ability to lay the foundation for sustainable development in Rakhine," it added in a statement..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-29
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Title: Real justice for Myanmar's Rohingya will require more than an ICJ ruling
Description: "Rohingya Muslims, described by the UN as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, have finally seen a beacon of light in the fight for justice driven forward by Gambia. The historic decision by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Myanmar is now legally bound to protect Rohingya Muslims from genocide, and stipulated four provisional measures they must take in doing so. This unprecedented ruling means that Myanmar's government must prevent any Rohingya Muslim in the country from being killed and reserve any evidence of a genocide that has already happened. In spite of this ground-breaking turning point in the path to justice, concerns still exist in the steps to seeking accountability to bring the perpetrators of the crimes against Rohingya to account. The Myanmar military crackdown in 2017 saw thousands of Rohingya Muslims killed, and 700,000 flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Rohingya communities continue to be subjected to indiscriminate killing and gang rape. Pregnant women, babies, children and the elderly have not been spared. With so many accounts and evidence of human rights violations, it is shocking that Myanmar continues to evade accountability..."
Source/publisher: "The New Arab" (London)
Date of publication: 2020-01-27
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-29
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Title: Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar)
Description: "Present: President YUSUF; Vice-President XUE; Judges TOMKA, ABRAHAM, BENNOUNA, CANÇADO TRINDADE, DONOGHUE, GAJA, SEBUTINDE, BHANDARI, ROBINSON, CRAWFORD, GEVORGIAN, SALAM, IWASAWA; Judges ad hoc PILLAY, KRESS; Registrar GAUTIER. The International Court of Justice, Composed as above, After deliberation, Having regard to Articles 41 and 48 of the Statute of the Court and Articles 73, 74 and 75 of the Rules of Court, Makes the following Order: 1. On 11 November 2019, the Republic of The Gambia (hereinafter “The Gambia”) filed in the Registry of the Court an Application instituting proceedings against the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (hereinafter “Myanmar”) concerning alleged violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (hereinafter the “Genocide Convention” or the “Convention”)..."
Source/publisher: International Court of Justice (ICJ) (The Hague)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: China, Russia under pressure from Myanmar Rohingya genocide ruling, Bob Rae says
Description: "China and Russia face pressure to prevent genocide in Myanmar after Thursday’s decision by an international court called on the South Asian country to stop the killing, says Canada’s special envoy to the crisis. The unanimous decision by the International Court of Justice is a strong signal to Russia and China, which have blocked the United Nations Security Council from referring the violence to the International Criminal Court, said Bob Rae, who the Liberal government tapped to take part in diplomatic efforts to address the deadly crisis. Rae and Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne both urged Myanmar to fully comply with the ruling from The Hague-based court, which demanded it protect its minority Muslim Rohingya population from genocide. Champagne said Canada will work with its allies to keep the pressure on Myanmar. The 17 judges on the panel called on Myanmar to do everything in its power to stop what it said was a genocide against the Rohingya. The court flatly rejected Myanmar’s plea — put forth by the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi — that the case be thrown out. Suu Kyi, a one-time icon of peace who has since been stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship, denied there was a genocide..."
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Source/publisher: "Toronto Star" ( Toronto)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: ICJ orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya
Sub-title: Top UN court finds 'irreparable damage' caused to Rohingya; orders Myanmar to take steps to prevent genocide.
Description: "The Hague-based International Court of Justice has ordered Myanmar to take emergency measures to prevent genocide of the Rohingya. In a unanimously-ruled order issued by a panel of 17 judges, and read by presiding Judge Abdulaqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the court upheld the provisions of the 1948 Genocide Convention - saying Myanmar had "caused irreparable damage to the rights of the Rohingya". More: Myanmar finds war crimes but no genocide in Rohingya crackdown Myanmar to release its Rohingya crackdown investigation results ICJ to rule on emergency measures in Myanmar genocide case According to the Statute of the ICJ, the court has the power to order provisional measures when "irreparable prejudice could be caused to rights which are the subject of judicial proceedings". The court found that the condition of urgency had been met in this case. In November the Gambia filed a suit against Myanmar alleging it was committing "an ongoing genocide against its minority Muslim Rohingya population" and violating the 1948 Genocide Convention..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: Myanmar ordered to prevent genocide against Rohingya by top UN court
Description: "The top court of the United Nations has ordered Myanmar to prevent acts of genocide against the country's persecuted Rohingya minority and to stop destroying evidence, in a landmark case at The Hague. The case was brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands by the tiny West African nation of Gambia, which in November alleged that Myanmar committed "genocidal acts" that "were intended to destroy the Rohingya as a group" through mass murder, rape, and destruction of communities. It asked the 15-judge court to enact provisional measures to compel the Myanmar government and military to end all acts that amount to or contribute to genocide, and to ensure Myanmar preserves evidence that could play a part in the case. The emergency measures act like an injunction while the main genocide case gets underway. That central case has not yet been heard and it could take years to reach a verdict..."
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Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: Rohingya crisis: The Gambian who took Aung San Suu Kyi to the world court
Sub-title: Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou's actions brought Aung San Suu Kyi to The Hague to deny that her country's military was committing a genocide. As the UN's highest court orders measures to prevent further mass killings, Anna Holligan takes a look at the man taking on the Nobel laureate.
Description: "It was an unexpected detour that led Abubacarr Tambadou from his home in the tiny West African country of The Gambia to experience an epiphany on the edge of a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Listening to survivors' stories he said the "stench of genocide" began drifting across the border into Bangladesh from Myanmar. "I realised how much more serious it was than the flashes we'd seen on television screens," he told the BBC. "Military and civilians would organise systematic attacks against Rohingya, burn down houses, snatch babies from their mothers' arms and throw them alive into burning fires, round up and execute men; girls were gang-raped and put through all types of sexual violence." The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in mainly Buddhist Myanmar. 'Just like Rwanda' These chilling scenes reminded Mr Tambadou of events in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of about 800,000 people. "It sounded very much like the kind of acts that were perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda. "It was the same modus operandi - the process of dehumanisation, calling them names - it bore all the hallmarks of genocide..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: Will ICJ ruling help the Rohingya? I Inside Story
Description: "The International Court of Justice, the world's highest court, has ordered Myanmar's government to prevent it's military from committing acts of genocide against the Rohingya. The ICJ has also warned that the Rohingya Muslim minority remain at serious risk of genocide and ordered the country to abide by the genocide convention, and take all measures within its power to prevent further killings. The case brought by The Gambia last year accuses Myanmar of committing an ongoing genocide against its minority Muslim Rohingya population. Myanmar denies the allegations. Thursday's ruling comes just days after an inquiry backed by Myanmar's government dismissed allegations of genocide. Myanmar's leader Suu Kyi says the Rohingya have 'exaggerated' abuses. So what does this ruling mean and will Myanmar abide by the orders? ..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: Will Myanmar respect ICJ order to stop genocide against Rohingya?
Sub-title: Experts celebrate landmark ruling, but have little hope that gov't which denies genocide will prevent further violence.
Description: "In a ruling that the Rohingya minority have celebrated, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Myanmar to take urgent measures to protect the mostly Muslim minority. On Thursday, a panel of 17 judges unanimously decided that Myanmar should take "all measures within its power" to prevent genocide, following a case filed by The Gambia in November. Presiding Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said Myanmar has "caused irreparable damage to the rights of the Rohingya", referring to a military campaign of violence in Rakhine state that saw more than 740,000 members of the ethnic minority flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2016 and 2017. More: ICJ orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya Myanmar finds war crimes but no genocide in Rohingya crackdown 'Justice served': Rohingya in Bangladesh hail ICJ order While academics and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh welcomed the judgement, others have urged caution - now, they say, there must be increased international scrutiny on Myanmar's treatment of the minority..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-24
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: World Court Rules Against Myanmar on Rohingya
Topic: International Justice
Sub-title: International Court of Justice Unanimously Orders Measures to Prevent Genocide
Topic: International Justice
Description: "The International Court of Justice (ICJ) order on January 23, 2020, directing Myanmar to prevent all genocidal acts against Rohingya Muslims is crucial for protecting the remaining Rohingya in Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said today. The court unanimously adopted “provisional measures” that require Myanmar to prevent genocide and take steps to preserve evidence. Myanmar’s military committed extensive atrocities against the Rohingya, including murder, rape, and arson, that peaked during its late 2017 campaign of ethnic cleansing, forcing more than 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. In September 2019, the United Nations-backed International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar found that the 600,000 Rohingya remaining in Myanmar “may face a greater threat of genocide than ever.” “The ICJ order to Myanmar to take concrete steps to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya is a landmark step to stop further atrocities against one of the world’s most persecuted people,” said Param-Preet Singh, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. “Concerned governments and UN bodies should now weigh in to ensure that the order is enforced as the genocide case moves forward.”..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-24
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Title: Court to rule in case accusing Myanmar of Rohingya genocide
Sub-title: The International Court of Justice decision comes in a case brought by the African nation of Gambia on behalf of an organization of Muslim nations...At public hearings last month, lawyers for Myanmar's accusers used maps, satellite images and graphic photos to detail what they call a campaign of murder, rape and destruction.
Description: "The United Nations' highest court is set to rule Thursday on whether to order Myanmar to halt what has been described as a genocidal campaign against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority. The International Court of Justice decision comes in a case brought by the African nation of Gambia on behalf of an organization of Muslim nations that accuses Myanmar of genocide in its crackdown on the Rohingya. At public hearings last month, lawyers for Myanmar's accusers used maps, satellite images and graphic photos to detail what they call a campaign of murder, rape and destruction amounting to genocide perpetrated by Myanmar's military. The hearings drew intense scrutiny from around the world as Myanmar's former pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi defended the campaign by military forces that once held her under house arrest for 15 years. Suu Kyi, who as Myanmar's state counselor now holds an office similar to prime minister, was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democracy and human rights under Myanmar's then-ruling junta. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya to be "Bengalis" from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless. They are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights..."
Source/publisher: Arab News (Saudi Arabia)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Title: International court to rule in Myanmar Rohingya genocide case
Sub-title: Momentous pronouncement follows Hague hearing at which Aung San Suu Kyi gave evidence
Description: "The United Nations’ highest tribunal is to deliver its decision on whether emergency measures are required to prevent Myanmar conducting genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority. The momentous pronouncement on Thursday follows a three-day hearing at the international court of justice in The Hague last month at which the Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi defended her country against accusations of systematic human rights abuses and war crimes. The ruling on the need for “provisional measures” will be read out at 10am local time by the court’s president, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, and may take more than an hour to deliver. The hearing will be broadcast live on the ICJ website. The case was brought by the Gambia, a predominantly Muslim west African state that alleges Myanmar has breached the 1948 genocide convention enacted after the Holocaust. It argues that the violence is continuing..."
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Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Title: Rohingya refugees pray for justice as court to rule in genocide case
Description: " Rohingya refugees who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar are praying for justice as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague prepares to deliver an initial verdict on Thursday in a genocide case filed against Myanmar. More than 730,000 Muslim Rohingya fled an army offensive in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017. The United Nations says gang rapes and mass killings were carried out with “genocidal intent”. Hundreds of villages were burned to the ground and later razed. Myanmar denies the charges of genocide. Gambia has asked the ICJ to order “provisional measures” to prevent more harm, a first step in a legal case that is expected to run for years. It has also asked judges to order Myanmar to ensure any evidence of atrocities is preserved. At the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, where the Rohingya who fled are settled, many hope for a ruling in their favor after years of persecution. “The Burmese (Myanmar) government and the army tried to wipe out the entire Rohingya community. We want justice,” said 30-year-old refugee Nurul Amin, who fled to Bangladesh with his pregnant wife during the 2017 army crackdown..."
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Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2020-01-22
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Title: Will the ICJ order Myanmar to stop the Rohingya genocide?
Sub-title: The International Court of Justice is set to decide on emergency measures to stop the genocide of the Rohingya.
Description: "The highest court of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, will on Thursday be issuing its much-anticipated decision on a request for "emergency measures" in a landmark genocide case against Myanmar. The case against Myanmar was filed by The Gambia in November, alleging that Myanmar was committing "an ongoing genocide" against its minority Muslim Rohingya population. Myanmar denies those allegations. The appearance of Myanmar's political leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the ICJ - also known as the "World Court" - in The Hague in December brought the case into the international spotlight. Experts describe the case as an "historic legal challenge" - but have expressed concerns about whether Myanmar will comply with whatever the court orders..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Title: World Court to rule on emergency measures in Rohingya genocide case
Description: "The International Court of Justice will rule on Thursday on a request by Gambia for emergency measures in Myanmar to halt violence immediately against Rohingya Muslims, to protect the ethnic minority and to preserve evidence of past abuses. The small, mostly Muslim West African country launched the lawsuit in November at the United Nations’ highest body for disputes between states, accusing Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya in violation of a 1948 convention. The case has not yet been heard in full and Thursday’s ruling deals only with Gambia’s request for so-called preliminary measures, the equivalent of a restraining order for states. It gives no indication of the court’s final decision, which could take years to reach. Gambia has requested that Myanmar take action to prevent violence, including murder, rape, or other atrocities that could constitute genocide. It has also asked judges to order Myanmar to grant access to U.N. bodies investigating alleged crimes against Rohingya. The World Court’s rulings are final and without appeal, but it has no real way of enforcing them..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2020-01-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Title: Atrocities against Rohingyas: ICC starts investigation
Sub-title: 'As far as I am aware an ICC team is currently visiting Bangladesh'
Description: "The International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun its investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity and other atrocity crimes committed by Myanmar against hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people sheltered in Bangladesh, said sources in Dhaka and The Hague, the Dutch capital, the house of the court. “Yes, the investigation has already begun. Multiple visits by experts from the office of the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to Bangladesh have already taken place,” a source in The Hague familiar with the investigation told Dhaka Tribune. “As far as I am aware an ICC team is currently visiting Bangladesh,” he said. The purpose of the visits of the ICC teams is to gather necessary evidence from different sources, he added. “They (ICC teams) are coming and going. They work independently without any alignment with the government. We will only provide any support if we are asked,” a source at the Foreign Ministry told this correspondent, adding, “I don’t know if any team from the ICC is currently visiting Bangladesh.” The activities of the ICC will mostly be focused on Cox’s Bazar for obvious reason, said the sources. The Prosecutor’s office did not respond to the emails from Dhaka Tribune seeking its comments in this regard. The ICC is an intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression..."
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Source/publisher: "Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of publication: 2020-01-17
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-22
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Title: OPINION - Myanmar gov't doggedly continues with its genocide denial
Sub-title: 'Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her partners in crimes should know that denial is a part of genocide'
Description: "After having co-presided with the visiting Chinese president Xi Jinping over the signing of 33 agreements, including bilateral trade deals, Memorandums of Understanding, strategic partnership agreements, and technical cooperation, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was all smile again this Monday. On the official website of Myanmar's Independent Commission of Enquiry, smiley Ms Suu Kyi was seen posing for cameras as the former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Philippines Ms Rosario Manalo presented her with the final report of the Myanmar-established Independent Commission of Enquiry which the Philippines diplomat chaired. The Free Rohingya Coalition, an international network of Rohingya refugee activists and their supporters, issued a statement, refuting the findings of the commission that there is “no” or “insufficient” evidence to establish the genocidal intent behind Myanmar’s destruction of the Rohingya community in Rakhine state and the mass deportations of estimated 800,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in 2016-2017..."
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Source/publisher: "Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of publication: 2020-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-22
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Title: Myanmar finds war crimes but no genocide in Rohingya crackdown
Sub-title: ICOE report comes days before UN's top court issues ruling on whether urgent measures are necessary to stop genocide.
Description: "A commission set up to investigate the 2017 crackdown in Rakhine that led hundreds of thousands of mostly Muslim Rohingya to flee Myanmar, has concluded that while some soldiers probably committed war crimes there was no genocide. The Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) released the findings of its investigation, but not the full report, to the country's president on Monday, a few days before the United Nations' top court is set to rule on whether to impose urgent measures to stop the alleged continuing genocide in Myanmar. More: Transcript: Aung San Suu Kyi's speech at the ICJ in full Rohingya refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyi's 'lies on genocide' Top court to rule on emergency measures against Myanmar on January 23 The ICOE conceded some security personnel had used disproportionate force and committed war crimes and serious human rights violations, including the "killing of innocent villagers and destruction of their homes". But the crimes did not constitute genocide, the panel decided..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-21
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Title: Myanmar panel: Security forces likely committed war crimes
Description: "An independent commission established by Myanmar’s government has concluded there are reasons to believe that security forces committed war crimes in counterinsurgency operations that led more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. However, the commission, headed by a Philippine diplomat, said in a report given Monday to President Win Myint that there is no evidence supporting charges that genocide was planned or carried out against the Rohingya. The Independent Commission of Enquiry announced its findings in a statement posted on its Facebook page and the full report does not appear to have been publicly released. Nevertheless, it went further than any public statements issued by Myanmar’s government in suggesting government forces were guilty of major abuses. “Although these serious crimes and violations were committed by multiple actors, there are reasonable grounds to believe that members of Myanmar’s security forces were involved” in war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law in 2017, it said. “The killing of innocent villagers and destruction of their homes were committed by some members of the Myanmar’s security forces through disproportionate use of force during the internal armed conflict,” it said..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-21
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Title: Myanmar Has Blazed a Path to Democracy Without Rights
Description: "The paradox at the heart of the Rohingya genocide has always been Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Just a few short years ago, the Rohingya regarded the international democracy icon as their champion and defender in an increasingly hostile Myanmar. Last month, she was standing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, defending the soldiers and politicians who erased the Rohingya from their native lands in Myanmar. Her history is a lesson for the optimists who thought democracy would also bring liberalism—and a disturbing portent of the compatibility of democracy and oppression that’s playing out from New Delhi to Budapest. The Rohingya Muslim minority have been a favorite target for successive Buddhist central governments in Myanmar, previously known as Burma, for almost the entire post-imperial history of the country. But they have been far from the only target. Other, smaller, Muslim groups have always been on the radar of the Theravada nationalist military juntas that ruled the country between 1962 and 2011. Christian groups and a plethora of borderland ethnic groups such as the Chin, Kachin, Shan, and Karen were also oppressed under the juntas..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Foreign Policy" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-16
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Rights group denounces Japanese envoy for comments on Myanmar Rohingya
Description: "Tokyo-based human rights activists on Wednesday decried recent remarks by Japan's ambassador to Yangon, who told local media he did not think the Myanmar military committed genocide on the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled the Southeast Asian nation to Bangladesh in 2017 after a military-led crackdown. The United Nations has said the campaign was executed with "genocidal intent" and included mass killings and rape. The military offensive has sparked a series of ongoing legal cases filed in recent months at courts across the globe, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), both based in the Hague. Zaw Min Htut, vice president of an advocacy group, Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan, said the ambassador's remarks were "disturbing". "I am very disappointed and appealing again to the Japanese government. Please try to help Rohingya people and don't side with criminals," Zaw Min Htut told foreign correspondents in Tokyo..."
Source/publisher: "Japan Today" (Japan)
Date of publication: 2020-01-16
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Why Myanmar’s genocide denial will come back to haunt it
Description: "Maung Zarni is the co-founder of FORSEA, a grass-roots organization of Southeast Asian human rights defenders, and the co-author of “Essays on Myanmar’s Genocide of Rohingyas.” Last month, Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi took the stand at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague to rebut allegations that her country’s systematic persecution of its Rohingya population amounts to genocide. Aung San Suu Kyi, once lionized for her stand against an oppressive military dictatorship, strenuously denied the charges — despite reams of evidence and the presence of nearly 1 million Rohingyas in refugee camps in Bangladesh. They ended up there after fleeing a so-called counterterrorism campaign by the Myanmar military in 2017 that left uncounted thousands dead..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Washington Post" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-16
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: ICJ to rule on emergency measures in Myanmar genocide case
Sub-title: UN court's decision on measures to prevent more harm against Myanmar's Rohingya minority expected on Jan 23.
Description: "The International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest court, will issue a decision on a request for emergency measures in a genocide case against Myanmar on January 23, the Gambian Ministry of Justice said on Twitter on Monday. The mainly Muslim West African country filed the suit in November, alleging Myanmar was committing "an ongoing genocide" against its minority Muslim Rohingya population. More: Myanmar: New Al Jazeera documentary uncovers Rohingya abuse Myanmar: Defending genocide at the ICJ Myanmar cannot be trusted to put own soldiers on trial: Gambia The ICJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in a military campaign that expelled more than 730,000 Rohingya from the country. It asked the ICJ to order "provisional measures" to prevent more harm, a first step in a legal case that is expected to go on for years..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2020-01-15
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: World Court to Rule on Emergency Measures in Myanmar Genocide Case on January 23: Gambia
Description: "The International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest court, will issue a decision on a request for emergency measures in a genocide case against Myanmar on Jan. 23, the Gambian Ministry of Justice said on Twitter on Monday. The mainly Muslim west African country filed the suit in November, alleging Myanmar was committing "an ongoing genocide" against its minority Muslim Rohingya population. The ICJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in a military campaign that expelled more than 730,000 Rohingya from the country. It asked the International Court of Justice to order "provisional measures" to prevent more harm, a first step in a legal case that is expected to go on for years..."
Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-01-14
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: In Myanmar’s Game of Thrones, Aung San Suu Kyi’s moral failure invites ugly comparisons
Sub-title: She was once a beacon of democracy standing up to the country’s military but the genocide against the Rohingya has left Suu Kyi painfully exposed...Nobody denies the intractable difficulties she and her country face. But she ought to have used her moral authority to address the ethnic divide.
Description: "Is she Cersei Lannister: cold, cynical and deadly? Or Sansa Stark: noble, long-suffering and genuine? Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi – the general’s daughter presiding over a desperately fragile state – has been transformed from being the military’s nemesis into its leading apologist or, worse yet, its enabler. As the proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gear up and Myanmar again comes under global scrutiny, many have asked how she could have become so reviled? She has allowed the darkest forces in her nation to wreak violence against the long oppressed Muslim Rohingya minority, whom she refuses to acknowledge..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "South China Morning Post" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2019-12-16
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar: Has Suu Kyi’s Position Been Enhanced After Her Return From ICJ? – Analysis
Description: "Suu Kyi returned from the Hague on 14th December. She was received at the airport by enthusiastic colleagues and the people that included Members of Parliament, Locals, teachers and students. Significantly, no Senior Army Official was present. At the court, in her final submission, Suu Kyi said that the case filed by Gambia should be dismissed or alternatively, the provisional measures requested by Gambia should be dismissed. It should be noted that decisions on both the counts of “intent of Genocide” or “provisional measures” to protect the Rohingyas from future threats of violence will take a long time and are not enforceable also unless it is brought to the Security Council again for action. Here again both China and Russia may come to Myanmar’s rescue. It is in this connection, Joe Kumbum’ (an analyst from Kachin under a pseudonym) has suggested that Myanmar should keep in touch with the Western powers lest it does not go over to the Chinese. My response would be that it is the Western Powers including the USA that should take the initiative. Suu Kyi while conceding that excesses may have taken place said that the country has had one Court Martial to try the guilty officers and one more is also in the offing. Surprisingly she even undertook that more Court Martials will be pursued once the report of the ICOE- Independent Commission of Enquiry submits its proposal that is expected in a few days..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Eurasia Review"
Date of publication: 2019-12-24
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Xi to Make First China State Visit to Myanmar in 19 Years
Description: "Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Myanmar on January 17 for his first state visit of the year, Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui announced. During the two-day trip, Xi will meet with the country’s defacto leader, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, General Min Aung Hlaing, Luo said at a press conference on Friday. The trip, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Myanmar diplomatic relations, comes as Myanmar faces widespread condemnation over its treatment of its minority Muslim population in western Rakhine State. In an effort to develop already deepening ties, Luo said both sides will seek closer economic cooperation through China’s pan-Eurasian Belt and Road Initiative. He also said Xi plans to raise the repatriation of Rohingya refugees -- more than 730,000 of whom remain in squalid camps just across the border in Bangladesh following what the UN has termed genocidal acts by the military since 2017..." Last month, Suu Kyi appeared in front of the International Court of Justice at the Hague to defend the country’s military against accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity for the killing and rape of thousands of people. “It is an issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh and indeed it is an old question,” Luo said. “At the request of the two countries China has played a constructive role in this regard, including trilateral talks on early repatriation.”..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Bloomberg News" (New York)
Date of publication: 2020-01-10
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar, Though Suspicious of China, Edges Closer to Beijing for Safety
Description: "Myanmar has crafted a neutral foreign policy since its colonial years to avoid leaning too much on any foreign power, but a spiraling political crisis at home is pushing it toward China as a buffer against international outrage. Western leaders say the poor but quickly developing Southeast Asian country is trying to wipe out Muslim Rohingya people near its border with Bangladesh. Myanmar’s state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the issue days before going before the International Court of Justice on December 11. Myanmar faces charges of genocide against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority group in Rakhine state. China had backed Myanmar in the U.N. Security Council when a military junta ruled the country before 2011. China is grappling with international criticism over perceived repression of ethnic Uighur people who oppose living under Beijing’s rule..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "VOA" (Washington, D.C)
Date of publication: 2019-12-25
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Top Eight Developments in International Law 2019
Description: "For those who support and believe in the power of international law to effect positive change in the world, 2019 was difficult. There were however a number of important bright sparks, in the form of efforts to negotiate treaties on the protection of marine biodiversity, business and human rights, and the elimination of work place harassment; as well as spotlights shone by national and international courts on the plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The past 12 months have both highlighted the political limits within which international law operates, and the good it can achieve within those boundaries. This post reflects on some of the most important new cases, treaties, and events; as well as the international legal order’s most difficult challenges. 1) Climate change and loss of biodiversity accelerate Climate emergency is Oxford’s word of the year and, as we are closing out the warmest decade on record, evidence of global warming seemed to be everywhere. The ferocity of forest fires both in the Amazon and in areas of Australia, fuelled by extreme drought, are but one worrying example. They also illustrate the limits of international law’s ability to force change on governments who are unwilling to accept it. Against this dark backdrop, the 2015 Paris Agreement’s achievements look modest. Climate change poses an existential challenge to international law, in that it affects almost everything it regulates. International cooperation is our only hope of tackling it, but it is difficult not to question whether the existing international legal architecture is up to the challenge..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Oxford University Press (Oxford)
Date of publication: 2020-01-03
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Why is Suu Kyi defending the military?
Description: "On Dec 11, Myanmar's State Counsellor-cum-Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi stood at the podium of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague and defended her country against the accusation of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention over the military's clearance operations in northern Rakhine state, which caused more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee the Southeast Asian country for Bangladesh. On behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, Gambia filed a case at the ICJ to order for"provisional measures to "protect and preserve the rights" of the Rohingya minority. The ICJ's ruling can possibly have two outcomes. If the ruling goes in favour of Gambia, there may be a new wave of violence targeting not only the Rohingya, but the larger Muslim population in Myanmar. And if the court dismisses the case, it may provoke anger among the Rohingya and their supporters across the globe -- including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.The legal process has triggered global attention and understandably it also divides the international community largely into two groups -- those who support Ms Suu Kyi and others who criticise or condemn her. Among others, those who criticise Ms Suu Kyi have argued that she has transformed herself from an international democratic icon and a champion of human rights to a denier of genocidal acts..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2020-01-06
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Domestic politics drives Suu Kyi’s genocide denial
Sub-title: Myanmar nominal leader’s defense of Rohingya crackdown at ICJ boosts her re-election chances
Description: "To much of the world, Myanmar’s nominal leader Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate turned genocide denier. At home, she is seen as a heroine who went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to defend and uphold her country’s honor, though not necessarily in defense of the powerful military with which she has been at loggerheads for years. The case brought to the ICJ by Gambia “to protect and preserve the rights” of Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority under the United Nations Genocide Convention will likely be a drawn-out and inconclusive legal process. That’s in part because all five permanent members of the UN’s Security Council may veto the enforcement of any verdict, which Myanmar allies China and Russia will likely do. Neither is an investigation ordered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November into alleged “crimes against humanity” committed during a Myanmar army campaign against the Rohingyas in 2017, which killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee across the border into neighboring Bangladesh, expected to succeed in prosecuting the perpetrators..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2019-12-20
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Has Myanmar Lost Sight Of Justice, Accountability And Truth?
Sub-title: After decades and decades of iron-fisted rule by one of the most repressive military regimes the world has ever seen, its people deserve better. At least, Justice, accountability, truth, and national reconciliation are aspirations that many have fought and died for many years. Myanmar cannot lose sight of them.
Description: "As 2019 draws to a close, with no positive progress on the situation of human rights, Myanmar[1] has drawn international attention regarding allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for crimes committed against the Rohingya. However, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s decision to represent the country as the Agent at the ICJ court proceedings in the Hague in defense of “the national interest”, has caused and continues to cause deep divisions amongst diverse people of Myanmar inside and outside of the country. Meanwhile in Rakhine State, clashes between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military has displaced more than 5,800 people in one week while in some parts of Rakhine State people are still unable to access the internet, making it six months since it was shut down by the government. On Saturyday, twenty civil society organizations in Myanmar issued a joint statement – initiated by Free Expression Myanmar and joined by others including Progressive Voice – condemning this continued shut down of internet access in parts of Rakhine State. In her capacity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi took the stand at the ICJ over the course of 10 – 12 December 2019 as the Agent of Myanmar. Although she denied the genocidal intent of the crimes, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi admitted at the world court that atrocity crimes have been committed by the Myanmar military. In her statement she admitted that “it cannot be ruled out that disproportionate force was used by members of the Defence Services in some cases in disregard of international humanitarian law.” The Myanmar military can no longer hide its brutal human rights violations against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities. However, what is troubling is that a number of public rallies were held across the country in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi without a clear understanding of the public hearings at the Hague. The Myanmar military and the National League for Democracy government has taken advantage of this lack of clarity, falsely claiming that the people of Myanmar are on trial, rather than the State, for violating the Genocide Convention. Therefore, many of those who gather at the rallies in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi believe that they have a duty to support their leader for “defending the country.”..."
Source/publisher: "Progressive Voice" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-12-22
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar: Defending genocide at the ICJ
Sub-title: With facts on the ground established, the Myanmar government's defence against the genocide charge can hardly stand.
Description: "On December 9, the world marked the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention: a covenant signed in the wake of the Holocaust not only to punish genocide but to prevent it. And yet, the tatters of the shredded promise of "never again" were on display the very next day at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which from December 10 to 12 held its first hearings in the case against Myanmar for the genocide of the Rohingya. The case was brought by The Gambia, under a provision of the Genocide Convention that permits state parties to bring a case against any other party for violations, even if they themselves are not directly affected - a reflection of the extreme gravity of the crime. The hearings - in which The Gambia requested "provisional measures" to mitigate further deterioration of the Rohingya's situation while the wheels of justice grind slowly forward - were just the preliminary stage of a long process which will take several more years to determine whether Myanmar bears state responsibility for genocide..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-22
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Understanding the Myanmar military’s genocidal mind
Sub-title: Recent atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims were business as usual for Myanmar’s war-hardened army
Description: "In her defense of Myanmar against charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague last week, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was at pains to stress the complexity of the ethnic conflict in Rakhine state and her country’s stumbling efforts to implement its own process of accountability and military justice. As Myanmar’s de facto political leader and foreign minister, she was clearly hobbled by her inability to articulate what would have been a far more persuasive line of argument: the 2017 atrocities perpetrated on the Rohingya Muslims of Rakhine were hardly an exceptional campaign of genocide, but rather what for the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, was simply business as usual – in military jargon “standard operating procedure” (SOP) – that has not normally garnered international attention, let alone global outrage. The sickening specifics of the Tatmadaw’s SOP in Rakhine have been spelled out in voluminous reports from a United Nations (UN) Fact Finding Mission and leading international human rights organizations. Some were again recounted by lawyers for the Gambia, which lodged the accusation of genocide with the court..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2019-12-17
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Why is most of Asia looking away from Myanmar?
Description: "The latest resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly condemning rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minority groups in Myanmar was the third such resolution on the subject. It was approved by 134 votes in favour and nine against while 28 nations abstained. A vote so close to the hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a petition seeking interim measures to prevent further killings and abuses with genocidal intent demands closer scrutiny to understand global community’s attitude towards the Rohingya crisis. China and Russia’s opposition to any international condemnation of Myanmar was not unexpected as both of them in the past had supported so-called security operations against alleged insurgency. Had these two veto-wielding nations allowed the UN Security Council to find a way forward to resolve the crisis or at the least refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), victims of those atrocities carried out by Myanmar security forces would have gotten some hope for justice. Apparently, there’s too little Bangladesh can do to win them over. The other seven nations who voted against the resolution were Belarus, Cambodia, Peoples Democratic Republic of Lao, Philippines, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Records show that these nations too have consistently sided with Myanmar. All these countries for decades have been criticised for their human rights records. Among them, Cambodia has bitter experience of dealing with genocide. It had cooperated fully with international jurists and experts to hold some of the perpetrators to justice. But, the current authoritarian regime’s appalling human rights records in the domestic front and reliance on China for military and economic aid explain its inability to support international actions against Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Daily Star" (Bangladesh)
Date of publication: 2020-01-05
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: UN condemns human rights abuses
Topic: Aung San Suu Kyi, Asia migrant crisis, International Court of Justice, Myanmar, Rohingya
Topic: Aung San Suu Kyi, Asia migrant crisis, International Court of Justice, Myanmar, Rohingya
Description: "The UN resolution passed on Friday expressed alarm at the continuing influx of Rohingya to Bangladesh over the past four decades "in the aftermath of atrocities committed by the security and armed forces of Myanmar". It highlighted the findings of an independent international mission "of gross human rights violations and abuses suffered by Rohingya Muslims and other minorities" by Myanmar's security forces, which the mission described as "the gravest crimes under international law". The resolution called on Myanmar to protect all groups and to ensure justice for all violations of human rights. It was passed by a total of 134 countries in the 193-member world body, with nine votes against and 28 abstaining. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but can reflect world opinion. The UN ambassador for Myanmar, Hau Do Suan, called the resolution "another classic example of double-standards [and] selective and discriminatory application of human rights norms". He said it was designed to exert "unwanted political pressure" on Myanmar and did not attempt to find a solution to "the complex situation in Rakhine state"..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-28
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: UNGA resolution condemns abuses against Myanmar's Rohingya
Sub-title: UN member states voted 134-9 with 28 abstentions to call for urgent action to stop racial hatred against the Rohingya.
Description: "The UN General Assembly (UNGA) approved a resolution on Friday strongly condemning human rights abuses against Myanmar's Rohingya and other minorities, including arbitrary arrests, torture, rape and deaths in detention. The 193-member body voted 134-9 with 28 abstentions in favour of the resolution, which also calls on Myanmar's government to take urgent measures to combat incitement of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states. More: Transcript: Aung San Suu Kyi's speech at the ICJ in full Rohingya refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyi's 'lies on genocide' At top court, Myanmar urged to 'stop genocide of own people' UNGA resolutions are not legally binding but they reflect world opinion. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya to be "Bengalis" from Bangladesh, in spite of their families having lived in the country for generations. Nearly all have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless; they are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-28
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Legal Team Defended Myanmar to ‘Best of Their Ability’ at ICJ, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Says
Description: "State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday evening that Myanmar’s delegation defended the country “to the best of their ability” against genocide charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in her first briefing to the nation since she returned from The Hague on Saturday. The Gambia accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention over military clearance operations in northern Rakhine State, which caused more than 730,000 Rohingya to flee the Southeast Asian country for Bangladesh. The African country asked the ICJ to order “provisional measures” to prevent more violations. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led the country’s legal team in presenting oral arguments before the court from Dec. 11 to 12. In her 15-minute-long speech on Wednesday she said representing Myanmar at the ICJ was an honor but also “a grave responsibility”, as the case submitted by The Gambia accused Myanmar of the most serious of crimes, genocide. However, she said, the delegation constantly kept in mind the honor of Myanmar, the aspirations of its people, and its obligations as a member of the international community..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-12-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar's Suu Kyi says supporters a 'source of strength' during genocide hearings
Description: "Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday thanked supporters who staged large rallies on her behalf as she defended the country against genocide charges at The Hague, speaking to the nation for the first time since she returned on Sunday. Gambia accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention over a military campaign that drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh. It has asked the International Court of Justice to order “provisional measures” to prevent more harm. “The support of our people, given generously and unquestioningly ... was a great source of strength to us when we presented our case at the ICJ,” Nobel laureate Suu Kyi said in a televised address screened by the state broadcaster. Suu Kyi led a team to the Netherlands for three days of hearings last week, during which she denied genocide and argued the U.N. court should not have jurisdiction. “Every country passes through difficult times and Myanmar is no exception. Such trials provide us with an opportunity to assess our strengths and weaknesses, to reinforce one and rectify the other,” she said..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Explainer: Genocide case against Myanmar at the top U.N. court
Description: "Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was due to leave the Netherlands on Friday after defending her country against accusations of genocide during three days of hearings at the International Court of Justice. The west African country of Gambia filed a case in November, alleging Myanmar was committing “an ongoing genocide” against its minority Muslim Rohingya population. As a first step, Gambia asked the court to order emergency measures to protect the Rohingya and keep the conflict from getting worse. These are meant as a kind of restraining order while the 17-judge panel looks at the full case on its merits, which usually takes several years to complete. The court said it would rule on the request as soon as possible, but did not set a specific date. A ruling is expected within weeks. These hearings are expected to have been the first in a long process. The genocide case against Bosnian Serbs in Srebrenica in 1995 took almost 15 years to complete..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Suu Kyi warns UN not to reignite Rohingya crisis
Description: "Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi urged United Nations (UN) judges on Thursday to throw out a genocide case against Myanmar, warning it risked reigniting the crisis that forced nearly three quarters of a million Rohingya Muslims from their homes. In her closing arguments after a three-day hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Myanmar's de facto civilian leader issued a stark warning to judges that allowing Gambia's case against Myanmar to go ahead could "undermine reconciliation". Suu Kyi, whose defence of the same generals she once defied has shredded her reputation abroad as a rights icon, even showed pictures of a football match recently played in the area affected by the violence in 2017 as evidence that was peace was returning "I pray that the decision you make with the wisdom and vision of justice will help us to create unity out of diversity," said Suu Kyi, who wore traditional Burmese dress and flowers in her hair..."
Source/publisher: "The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
Date of publication: 2019-12-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: “ACT NOW AND JOIN GAMBIA”
Description: "As the world looked on in lead up to the proceedings of Myanmar’s[1] violation of the Genocide Convention in case of Rohingya at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission’s (MNHRC) stated that they did not “find any evidence that the military tortured them or violated their human rights”– refusing to call them “Rohingya” and instead by the derogatory term “Bengali” – spoke to the complete lack of will by the domestic human rights institution to address accountability or to work to protect human rights. Since its establishment by a presidential decree in 2011 and the passing of its 2014 MNHRC Enabling Law that set its formal mandate, the MNHRC has continued to suffer from a huge public trust deficit. The insitution’s work to promote and protect human rights has consistently been hampered by two interlinked issues: commissioners who lack the human rights sensitivity and mindset as well as relevant experiences, and the structural and procedural issues at the heart of the MNHRC law that ensures the commissioners’ selection process is not independent, but aligned to the Myanmar government and the military – the institution which has committed genocide and continues to act with total impunity. Like most institutions set up by the government in Myanmar, the MNHRC has never recognized the identity of the Rohingya, and rather than upholding the principles of human rights, it has worked to deflect the egregious violence committed against them. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (IIFFMM) in its report, condemned the role of the MNHRC, stating that at no point has the commission worked to “address the systemic discrimination against Rohingya, despite this falling within its mandate.” This was again made clear by commissioner Yu Lwin Aung who stated, “We found that those Bengalis only killed and troubled our ethnic groups such as Mro, Khami, Rakhine and Dainet as well as Hindus. They violated the human rights. We found no evidence that the military did it.” The statement was made in a timely lead up to the proceedings currently taking place at the international court in the Hague on the case of Myanmar’s violation of the Genocide Convention filed at the ICJ by The Gambia..."
Source/publisher: "Progressive Voice" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi: Why defend the indefensible?
Description: "This week, the world was treated to an extraordinary sight. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner once hailed as “the bravest and most moral person in the world ... the immaculate heroine who allows us all to feel a little better about human nature”, sat in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and defended her country against charges of genocide. The brutal “clearance operations” by Myanmar’s security forces against the Muslim Rohingya population in Rakhine State between October 2016 and the end of 2017 have been extensively documented by governments and international organisations. In 2018, for example, an independent UN fact-finding mission released a 444-page report that described in horrific detail case after case of murder, torture, sexual assault and the destruction of property by the armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) and the police. The UN Human Rights Council stated that these operations demonstrated “genocidal intent”. A more politically nuanced US State Department investigation conducted at the same time stopped short of calling the atrocities in Myanmar genocide, but recorded broadly similar findings. Both reports noted that there were almost one million Rohingya refugees living in squalid camps in Bangladesh who stood as evidence of the crimes against humanity perpetrated against them..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Interpreter"
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar charged with genocide of Rohingya Muslims: 5 essential reads
Description: "Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi is defending Myanmar in court against accusations of genocide. According to a case brought by the country of Gambia at the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, the Myanmar military in August 2017 carried out a systematic, targeted campaign of terror, rape and murder against its Muslim population. UN investigators say as many as 10,000 Rohingya – a Muslim minority in this Buddhist-majority nation – were killed. Another 730,000 Rohingya fled the massacre for Bangladesh, joining 300,000 Rohingya who had previously fled oppression in Myanmar. Suu Kyi said during hearings at the Hague on Dec. 11 that the charge of genocide is “misleading” because “cycles of intercommunal violence” in Myanmar date “back to the 1940s.” The Myanmar military explains its campaign as a counter-terrorism effort against a violent Rohingya extremist group..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Conversation"
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar’s initiative can help end Rohingya row
Description: "Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi defended her country against accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague Wednesday. Some Western media outlets lashed out at the Nobel Peace Prize winner, accusing her of being the spokesperson for the massacre in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar. But inside the Southeast Asian country, which has been under the spotlight over the ethnic controversy for years, Suu Kyi enjoys widespread support. After the Myanmar leader's announcement to go to The Hague in November, hundreds of rallies were held in Yangon to show support for her. Domestic supporters said it was unfair for Western countries to put pressure on the Myanmar government led by National League for Democracy (NLD) and on Suu Kyi herself. That the Western countries have accused the NLD government of religious persecution has triggered resentment among Myanmese. In fact, the Rohingya issue has been a long-term political, historical, ethnic, religious, economic and social problem, with various interwoven factors, such as the immigration policy during British colonial rule, illegal cross-border immigration since the independence of Myanmar in 1948, poverty, as well as lack of rule of law and national security. So far, successive governments in Myanmar have failed to find a proper solution to the thorny issue. After Myanmar's political transformation, the Rohingya issue has been widely discussed at home and abroad, and has also become a bargaining chip for political forces to fight for power and interests. The NLD government is confronted with immense pressure from all walks of life at home and from the international community which makes it even more difficult to deal with the Rohingya conundrum..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Global Times" (China)
Date of publication: 2019-12-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Rohingya fury at Aung San Suu Kyi’s genocide denial to world court
Sub-title: Muslim victims of Myanmar ‘clearances’ voice outrage as peace prize winner dismisses atrocity charges
Description: "When Aung San Suu Kyi rose to denounce genocide charges against her country at the “world court” last week, three victims of Myanmar’s ethnic violence were sitting close behind the Nobel peace prize winner – disbelieving and seething with anger. Hamida Khatun, Yousuf Ali and Hasina Begum had travelled from the sprawling Kutupalong refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to sit on the legal delegation attending the International Court of Justice’s emergency hearing in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Only lawyers were allowed to address the 17 judges during the three-day session in the United Nations’ highest tribunal. The exiled Rohingya Muslims had to sit in silence, stifling their emotions. Khatun, 50, and Ali, 46, voted for Aung San Suu Kyi in 2010 when, after 15 years of house arrest, she represented a figure of democratic hope defying the military dictatorship..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Suu Kyi's denials make mockery of a Nobel past
Description: "It took 21 years for Myanmar's now de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to finally accept her Nobel peace prize after many years under house arrest. During her acceptance speech, she talked about how "wherever suffering is ignored, there will be the seeds of conflict, for suffering degrades and embitters and enrages". For the Rohingya people of her country, these were prescient words. Last week, Suu Kyi found herself at the International Court of Justice at The Hague defending her country from accusations of genocide. The hearing against Myanmar, made by the tiny African nation of Gambia, centres on the more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims forced to flee to Bangladesh in 2017 after systematic "clearance operations" led by the military. Its case relies on a UN fact-finding mission, which described soldiers in the Myanmar state of Rakhine firing indiscriminately into houses and fields, houses set on fire with people locked inside, mass rapes, and children thrown into rivers and onto fires. The military operation flared after many years of tension between the state’s two largest groups, the Rakhine Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslims. The Rohingya minority have long suffered discrimination in the form of severe travel restrictions, limited access to education and Myanmar's unwillingness to give them citizenship, in effect making them stateless. When the Rohingya's frustrations led them to attack a military base in 2017, the response from Myanmar was devastating..."
Source/publisher: "The Sydney Morning Herald" (Sydney)
Date of publication: 2019-12-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: ‘The Lady’ is a liar: Suu Kyi’s genocide whitewash
Description: "Rohingya civilians.” That’s the phrase conspicuously absent from Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s 3,500-word statement to the International Court of Justice on Wednesday. The omission is no accident. Suu Kyi’s highly anticipated ICJ appearance was to answer to The Gambia’s official complaint of Myanmar’s violations of the United Nations’ 1948 Genocide Convention, linked to the extreme military abuses against Muslim Rohingya civilians. Yet her judicial defense strategy studiously avoided any mention of civilian suffering. Instead, Suu Kyi – the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate – peddled the Myanmar military‘s long-discredited narrative that its activities in northern Rakhine state in August 2017 constituted legitimate “clearance operations” in response to attacks on police posts, allegedly perpetrated by an insurgent group. According to Suu Kyi, what transpired was merely “an internal armed conflict started by coordinated and comprehensive attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, to which Myanmar’s Defense Services responded.”Unfortunately for Suu Kyi, that narrative is at odds with voluminous evidence compiled by the United Nations’ Independent International Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and other rights monitors. That documentation demonstrates a vicious, widespread, and systematic targeting of Rohingya civilians by security forces in a weeks-long violence spree that began on August 25, 2017. That’s when security forces attacked hundreds of Rohingya villages, massacring thousands of their residents, gang-raping thousands more, and burning their homes to the ground..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Has the world failed the Rohingya people? | Inside Story
Description: "Two years ago, Myanmar's military launched its crackdown on the Rohingya after attacks on its soldiers by members of the mainly Muslim minority. The UN described what happened next as a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing'. The army was accused of rape, torture and murder, and villages were burned to the ground. Almost three-quarters of a million Rohingya were forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, where they live in the world's biggest refugee camp. The Gambia wanted Myanmar's military tried for genocide, and went to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. But Aung San Suu Kyi, Head of Myanmar's government, and a Nobel peace laureate, dismissed the case as "misleading and incomplete." Why is this one-time champion of human rights defending the army that kept her under house arrest for years?..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: Aung San Suu Kyi cuts a haunted figure in court
Sub-title: The spectacle of Aung San Suu Kyi, a once-persecuted Nobel peace laureate now defending her country against allegations of genocide over its treatment of the Rohingya minority, has been one of bewildering irony.
Description: In the years after she was released from house arrest in 2010, princes, presidents and prime ministers welcomed Aung San Suu Kyi with open arms into their own opulent homes. The feel-good factor of rubbing shoulders with someone who had dedicated much of her adult life to the pursuit of democracy was irresistible. Then, the grandeur of the Peace Palace in The Hague - a marble-floored monument to global harmony - would have been comfortable surroundings for Myanmar's Nobel Peace Prize winner. A native habitat, even. But not now. There was no red carpet, welcoming committee or brass band. Aung San Suu Kyi: The democracy icon who fell from grace Bangladesh 'to be tougher' on Rohingya refugees Will Omar get justice for his murdered family? Instead the light pouring through the stained glass of the Great Hall of Justice illuminated an often haunted-looking figure who had chosen to come and listen to descriptions of some of the most unimaginably gruesome acts. Acts said to have been committed in her country. On her watch..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-14
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar's lawyer to critics on genocide case: Everyone has right to defense
Description: "Canadian lawyer William Schabas, an international scholar on genocide, has been criticized by friend and foe for first researching crimes against the Muslim Rohingya of Myanmar, and now defending the state accused of perpetrating them. Schabas helped research a report in 2010 on systematic attacks against the Rohingya, which concluded that they met the international threshold of crimes against humanity. Three years later, in an Al Jazeera documentary, he was filmed saying: “Denying their history, denying the legitimacy of their right to live where they live, these are all warning signs that mean that it’s not frivolous to envisage the use of the word genocide.” This week Schabas stood alongside Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and denied genocide took place during a military campaign in 2017 in which thousands were killed and raped and hundreds of thousands displaced. “William Schabas is basically selling out the Rohingya for some Myanmar gov’t $$$. Really the worst sort of behavior, how totally immoral and two-faced,” Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch said on Twitter on Thursday..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi addresses Myanmar genocide in speech at The Hague | Full video version
Description: "Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said the case brought against her country at the World Court was "incomplete and misleading" as she began her defence to accusations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority on Wednesday. Suu Kyi, once feted in the West as a heroine of democracy, spoke for about 30 minutes at the courtroom in The Hague in defence of the actions of the Myanmar military, which she said did not constitute genocide. In three days of hearings this week, judges are hearing the first phase of the case: Gambia's request for "provisional measures" - the equivalent of a restraining order against Myanmar to protect the Rohingya population until the case is heard in full. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to Bangladesh after the military launched a crackdown in western Rakhine state in August 2017..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Global News" (Toronto)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi pleas with court to dismiss genocide claims
Sub-title: Leader says a report from an internal inquiry into Myanmar soldiers was due soon
Description: "In a defiant closing address to the UN’s highest tribunal, Aung San Suu Kyi has pleaded with its 17 international judges to dismiss allegations that Myanmar has committed genocide and urged them instead to allow the country’s court martial system to deal with any human rights abuses. The 74-year-old leader of the Asian country informed the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague that she expected a report by an internal inquiry to recommend more prosecutions of Myanmar soldiers soon. “I can confirm there will be further court martials after the submission of the report ... in a few weeks,” she said. “It’s vital that our civil and military justice system functions in accordance with our constitution.” The Nobel peace prize winner’s decision to attend the court in person has astounded human rights groups. Once an international icon representing peaceful defiance of military dictatorship, her reputation has plummeted as she has repeatedly defended her country’s army in the aftermath of the Rohingya exodus in 2017. Thousands of people were killed and about 740,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority fled across the border into sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh after Myanmar launched a huge military crackdown in Rakhine state..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Gambia v. Myanmar Day 3 Hearing Part 1
Description: " Hague, The Netherlands: American lawyer Paul Reichler told the International Court of Justice on Wednesday, that they do not contend that there was no insurgents in Myanmar’s alleged genocide against the Muslim Rohingya people during the cleanse operations. Delivering his points of argument before the international tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday, in a genocidal case brought against the government of Myanmar by The Gambia, Reichler said Myanmar had justified that it’s cleanse operations were not intended at destroying Rohingya. “They said what they intended was to clear an area of the insurgents by deliberately killing Rohingya children, beaten to death or torn from their mother’s arms.” On November 11, Gambia, with the backing of the 57 members of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, filed a case with the court alleging that the Myanmar military’s atrocities in Rakhine State against Rohingya Muslims violate the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. On November 20, Myanmar recognized being bound by the ICJ Statute and announced that its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, would lead the delegation to “defend the national interest of Myanmar.”..."
Source/publisher: Eye Africa TV
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Gambia's Rohingya genocide case hearing at the International Court of Justice
Description: "The International Court of Justice (ICJ) begins hearing on the Gambia’s Rohingya genocide case against Myanmar today in The Hague. The three day hearings will include the first response by Myanmar to allegations of atrocities against the Rohingya before an independent and impartial court. The Gambia, with the backing of the 57 members of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, filed a case on November 11, with the court alleging that the Myanmar military’s atrocities in Rakhine State against Rohingya Muslims violate the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide..."
Source/publisher: "Gambiana News" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Gambia's Second Round Observation By Ba Tambedou At The ICJ
Description: "Gambia maintains position that Myanmar committed gross human right violations.."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Eye Africa TV
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: The Guardian view on Myanmar and genocide: humanity on trial
Sub-title: Criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi’s defence of her country must not overshadow the issue at the heart of the case at the international court of justice: the ongoing suffering of Rohingya Muslims
Description: "Aung San Suu Kyi’s decision to personally defend Myanmar in the genocide case at the international court of justice this week has torn away any scant remaining shreds of moral credibility from the figure once lauded as a champion of democracy and the fight against oppression. Yet what is at stake is far more than one woman’s reputation. Nor is this even about the six military leaders – including the commander in chief – who UN-appointed investigators last year said should be prosecuted for the “gravest” crimes against civilians, including genocide. This is about the more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state forced to flee to Bangladesh since late 2016, the 10,000 who UN investigators believe may have died in the crackdown, and the 600,000 still living in apartheid conditions, denied basic rights. Lawyers for the Gambia, which has brought this case with the backing of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, laid out the details: the mass shootings, throat slittings, infanticide, torture, rape and burning down of villages, carried out systematically and together amounting to the destruction of the Rohingya as a group, in whole or part. These crimes are well documented..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: ICJ speech: Suu Kyi fails to use 'Rohingya' to describe minority
Sub-title: While defending military against genocide charges, Myanmar leader does not use Rohingya to describe persecuted minority.
Description: "In a speech on Wednesday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that lasted about 30 minutes, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended her country's military against allegations of genocide. The case, filed by The Gambia, accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, with regard to a bloody crackdown in 2017 in which thousands of Rohingya were abused, displaced and killed. The hearing concludes on Thursday, but a final judgement could take several years. More: Transcript: Aung San Suu Kyi's speech at the ICJ in full Rohingya refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyi's 'lies on genocide' At top court, Myanmar urged to 'stop genocide of own people' In her opening statement, the former human rights icon denied "genocidal intent" on the part of the military and outlined the history of tensions in Rakhine state. She promised that civilians and members of the military who attacked innocent people would be prosecuted, but repeatedly termed the 2017 crackdown as an "internal conflict", saying Myanmar's military was responding to attacks by armed local groups, such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar cannot be trusted to put own soldiers on trial: Gambia
Sub-title: ICJ hearing draws to close as Aung San Suu Kyi faces fresh criticism for defending Myanmar against genocide allegation.
Description: "Myanmar cannot be trusted to hold its soldiers accountable for alleged atrocities against its Rohingya minority, and measures to stop the violence need to be taken immediately, a lawyer presenting a genocide case against the country said on Thursday. Speaking on the third and final day of hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought by The Gambia under the 1948 Genocide Convention, the West African country's lead lawyer repeated its demand for "provisional measures" to restrain the Myanmar military until the case is heard in full. More: Transcript: Aung San Suu Kyi's speech at the ICJ in full Rohingya refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyi's 'lies on genocide' At top court, Myanmar urged to 'stop genocide of own people' Paul Reichler said Myanmar had not even tried during the hearings to deny most of the accusations of extreme violence made against its military, known officially as the Tatmadaw, nor of the mass deportation of Rohingya following a 2017 crackdown. Statements from Myanmar that it was taking action to prosecute soldiers accused of wrongdoing were incredible, he said..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: Suu Kyi accused of 'silence' in genocide trial
Description: "The Muslim-majority African country has accused Myanmar of genocide in a case at the UN's top court. Lawyers said Ms Suu Kyi had ignored widespread allegations of mass murder, rape and forced deportation. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has defended her country, calling the case "incomplete and incorrect". In her closing remarks at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, she said the genocide case could "undermine reconciliation". What did The Gambia say? Lawyers for The Gambia hit out at arguments from Ms Suu Kyi that a 2017 military crackdown in Rakhine state was a "clearance operation" targeting militants. Thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during the crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. There were widespread allegations of sexual violence and rape..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: Suu Kyi accused of 'silence' in genocide trial
Description: "The Muslim-majority African country has accused Myanmar of genocide in a case at the UN's top court. Lawyers said Ms Suu Kyi had ignored widespread allegations of mass murder, rape and forced deportation. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has defended her country, calling the case "incomplete and incorrect". In her closing remarks at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, she said the genocide case could "undermine reconciliation". What did The Gambia say? Lawyers for The Gambia hit out at arguments from Ms Suu Kyi that a 2017 military crackdown in Rakhine state was a "clearance operation" targeting militants. Thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during the crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. There were widespread allegations of sexual violence and rape..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar's Suu Kyi denies genocide, warns reigniting crisis
Description: "Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi urged UN judges on Thursday to drop a genocide case against her country, warning it risked reigniting the crisis that forced nearly three-quarters of a million Rohingya Muslims from their homes. In her closing arguments after a three-day hearing at the ICJ, Suu Kyi issued a stark warning to judges that allowing The Gambia's case against Myanmar to go ahead could "undermine reconciliation." The Nobel peace laureate earlier denied accusations of genocide caused by Myanmar's armed forces at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Suu Kyi said the Myanmar army only intervened after an attack by fighters of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in August 2017. She pointed out that tensions have existed for centuries between different groups in the Rakhine state in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "China Global Television Network (CGTN)" (China)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Transcript: Aung San Suu Kyi's speech at the ICJ in full
Sub-title: In a speech that lasted about 30 minutes, Myanmar leader defended her country's military against genocide allegations.
Description: "Aung San Suu Kyi has defended Myanmar's military against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), amid accusations of mass killings, rape and expulsion of the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. In her opening statement in front of judges in The Hague on Wednesday, the former human rights icon rejected the case at the United Nations' highest court - which was filed by the Gambia with the support of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) - alleging Myanmar violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The hearing concludes on Thursday, but a final judgement could take several years. More: Aung San Suu Kyi defends Myanmar against genocide allegations Rohingya refugees reject Aung San Suu Kyi's 'lies on genocide' Timeline: How the crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya unfolded Here is her speech in full: "Thank you, Mr President and members of the court. It is an honour to appear as Agent of the Union of the Republic of Myanmar in these proceedings, in my capacity as Union Minister of Foreign Affairs. "For materially less resourceful countries like Myanmar, the World Court is a vital refuge of international justice. We look to the Court to establish conditions conducive to respect for obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law, one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations Charter..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar”
Sub-title: The ICJ today published a “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar.” In this, the ICJ seeks to offer an accessible, concise and substantial overview of the conceptual basis and purpose of strategic litigation.
Description: "The Handbook shows the potential impacts of strategic litigation in Myanmar, by drawing on experiences from Myanmar and other countries, while recognizing the related challenges and opportunities, as expressed by legal professionals and civil society actors. It is intended to be useful to all legal practitioners and community activists in Myanmar. While there is no universal definition or conception of ‘strategic litigation,’ the term is typically used to describe litigation whereby the interests may go beyond those of the primary litigants. The various adjudication processes it entails are sometimes referred to as ‘public interest litigation’, ‘impact litigation’, ‘test case litigation’, or ‘community lawyering’. What they all have in common is the idea that courts and the law can be used as part of a campaign to achieve broader change in relation to matters seen to be in the broader public interest. ICJ publishes “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar” SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 The ICJ today published a “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar.” In this, the ICJ seeks to offer an accessible, concise and substantial overview of the conceptual basis and purpose of strategic litigation. The Handbook shows the potential impacts of strategic litigation in Myanmar, by drawing on experiences from Myanmar and other countries, while recognizing the related challenges and opportunities, as expressed by legal professionals and civil society actors. It is intended to be useful to all legal practitioners and community activists in Myanmar. While there is no universal definition or conception of ‘strategic litigation,’ the term is typically used to describe litigation whereby the interests may go beyond those of the primary litigants. The various adjudication processes it entails are sometimes referred to as ‘public interest litigation’, ‘impact litigation’, ‘test case litigation’, or ‘community lawyering’. What they all have in common is the idea that courts and the law can be used as part of a campaign to achieve broader change in relation to matters seen to be in the broader public interest. Part one of the Handbook explores core aspects of strategic litigation, including its origins, key concepts, potential impacts, challenges and forums. In part two, areas of law are identified which offer potential options for strategic litigation actions, including procedures, legislation and constitutional writs. Practical steps for the planning and application of strategic litigation, such as media strategy and case selection, are outlined in part three. Finally, part four of the Handbook discusses related challenges in the Myanmar context, including a discussion of requisite reforms required in the justice sector more broadly.."
Source/publisher: International Court of Justice (ICJ) (The Hague)
Date of publication: 2019-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 514.91 KB (34 pages)
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi tells court: Myanmar genocide claims ‘factually misleading’
Sub-title: De facto PM defends actions of government, saying attacks were initiated by insurgents
Description: "The Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has defended Myanmar’s government against accusations of genocide at the international court of justice, calling the allegations an “incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation”. Addressing a bench of 17 judges from around the world, the 74-year-old leader dismissed reports of state violence against Rohingya Muslims and blamed the conflict on an uprising by sectarian insurgents. An estimated 700,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since late 2016, escaping military clearance operations that a UN fact-finding mission described as “brutal”. It warned that Myanmar was failing to prevent genocide. Once internationally feted as a human rights champion, Aung San Suu Kyi is leading Myanmar’s delegation to the court in The Hague. The state counsellor, in effect the country’s prime minister, opened her defence with a 25-minute speech which placed primary responsibility for the violence on a terrorist uprising. The attacks were initiated by members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Aung San Suu Kyi told the court as she displayed detailed maps of Rakhine state showing, she claimed, where the first assaults began in late 2016..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Daw Aung San Su Kyi presents at ICJ (Full video version)
Source/publisher: YouTube
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar Rohingya: Suu Kyi rejects genocide claims at UN court
Sub-title: Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has defended her country against allegations of genocide at the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Description: "The Nobel Peace Prize laureate responded to widespread claims that Myanmar (formerly Burma) committed atrocities against Muslim Rohingya. In her opening remarks, she called the case against Myanmar "incomplete and incorrect". She said troubles in Rakhine, where many Rohingya lived, go back centuries. Thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during an army crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017. Myanmar has always insisted it was tackling an extremist threat in Rakhine state, and Ms Suu Kyi maintained that stance, describing the violence as an "internal armed conflict" triggered by Rohingya militant attacks on government security posts. The democracy icon who fell from grace Rohingya homes destroyed for government facilities Conceding that Myanmar's military might have used disproportionate force at times, she said that if soldiers had committed war crimes "they will be prosecuted". Ms Suu Kyi - once celebrated internationally as a champion of democracy - has been de facto leader of Myanmar since April 2016, before the alleged genocide began. She does not have control over the army, but has been accused by the UN investigator of "complicity" in the military clearances. Ms Suu Kyi has chosen to stand up for the same army that kept her under house arrest for years..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Myanmar's Rohingya say 'world will judge' Suu Kyi's denial of genocide
Sub-title: Leaders in refugee camps says justice will be delivered based on the evidence they have provided of Myanmar atrocities
Description: "Rohingya refugees have hit back at Aung San Suu Kyi’s claims at the international court of justice in testimony on Wednesday after she denied that Myanmar’s armed forces were guilty of genocide against the Muslim minority. Suu Kyi told the court that the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh was the unfortunate result of a battle with insurgents. She denied the army had killed civilians, raped women and torched houses in 2017. Critics describe the actions by the army as a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee. “The world will judge their claim of no genocide with evidence,” said a Rohingya leader, Mohammed Mohibullah, who is chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights..."
Source/publisher: "Associated Press (AP)" (New York) via "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar's Suu Kyi back in U.N. court for final day of genocide hearing
Description: "Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi returned to the International Court of Justice on Thursday to defend Myanmar against accusations it has committed genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority population. Gambia, which brought the suit at the U.N.'s top court under the 1948 Genocide Convention, has asked judges to order "provisional measures" that would act as a kind of restraining order for the Myanmar military until the case is heard in full. At Thursday's hearing each side will have a chance to counter arguments put forward by the other over the past two days, starting with Gambia, a small west African country that is supported by the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. On Tuesday, Gambia's legal team outlined graphic testimony of bloody excesses alleged committed by Myanmar's military since 2016 in a campaign that has seen more than 730,000 Rohingya driven across the border from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. U.N. investigators estimated 10,000 people may have been killed. Suu Kyi on Wednesday argued the tribunal, also known as the World Court, should not have jurisdiction. She said even if there had been violations of humanitarian law during what she described as an "internal conflict", they did not rise to the level of genocide and are not covered by the Convention. Gambia, led by Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou, was expected to argue on Thursday that Myanmar's actions do meet the definition of genocide, as attacks on the Rohingya were part of a coordinated plan of ethnic cleansing. Suu Kyi and her team will have several hours to formulate a rebuttal and final statement by the end of on Thursday. The court has not set a date for a decision on provisional measures, but one could come in January. Its decisions are binding and not subject to appeal, though it has no means of enforcement and countries have occasionally ignored them in the past or failed to fully adhere..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Telegraph" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: The Papers: Newspaper headlines: Bellamy tributes and Myanmar 'genocide denial'
Sub-title: Political coverage and commentary takes up most of the front pages. The BBC, along with other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning while the polls are open
Description: "Away from the election, The Times considers what it calls the extraordinary transition of the Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, following her appearance at the International Court of Justice defending her country's treatment of the Rohingya Muslims. It says she's gone from dissident voice, political prisoner and opposition politician to the genocide-denying champion of an almost friendless government. It suggests that the Nobel Peace Prize awards committee should think carefully about whether she still deserves the honour. The Daily Telegraph says that, often lauded for her principled stance against the military, Miss Suu Kyi has been criticised for now defending their actions. For the Financial Times, her journey from the Nobel Peace Prize podium in Oslo to the UN court in The Hague is a symbol of her alienation from global admirers who once saw her as a human rights icon. There's sharp criticism of a new law passed in India yesterday that will fast-track citizenship claims for immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. The Financial Times warns that the law threatens the history of Indian secularism. It is, the paper says, a milestone in the campaign by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to reshape India into an overtly Hindu nation..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: "Powerful Moment": Rohingya Go Online To Watch Myanmar Rulers At UN Court
Description: "When Gambia went before the United Nations' top court Tuesday and accused Myanmar of committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims, most Rohingya refugees themselves couldn't watch the opening of the unprecedented hearings. That's because Bangladesh, which has taken in more than 750,000 Rohingya, had shut off Internet service since September in the sprawling and isolated refugee camps that lie along the edge of the tourist hub of Cox's Bazar. Then suddenly around 10 p.m. Tuesday local time, the camps' connection to the outside world returned. There were cheers of gratitude - toward Bangladesh for reconnecting the Internet and toward Gambia for supporting the Rohingya's case on the world stage. But there was also anger and sadness as people caught up on Myanmar's steadfast denial that it had waged a violent campaign against Rohingya that United Nations investigators concluded had "genocidal intent."..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Washington Post" (Washington, D.C) via "NDTV" (New Delhi)
Date of publication: 2019-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Statement by H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar As Agent Before the ICJ
Description: "1. Thank you, Mr. President and Members of the Court. It is an honour to appear as Agent of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in these proceedings, in my capacity as Union Minister for Foreign Affairs. For materially less resourceful countries like Myanmar, the World Court is a vital refuge of international justice. We look to the Court to establish conditions conducive to respect for obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law, one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations Charter. 2. In the present case, Mr. President, the Court has been asked to apply the 1948 Genocide Convention, one of the most fundamental multilateral treaties of our time. Invoking the 1948 Genocide Convention is a matter of utmost gravity. This is the treaty that we made following the systematic killing of more than six million European Jews, and that my country whole-heartedly signed as early as 30 December 1949 and ratified on 14 March 1956. Genocide is the crime that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda applied in response to the mass-killing of perhaps 70% of the Tutsis in Rwanda. It is the crime that was not applied by the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to the displacement of approximately one million residents of Kosovo in 1999. Neither was it applied by that Tribunal nor by this Court when deciding upon the exodus of the Serb population from Croatia in 1995. In both situations international justice resisted the temptation to use this strongest of legal classifications because the requisite specific intent to physically destroy the targeted group in whole or in part was not present. 3. Regrettably, The Gambia has placed before the Court an incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation in Rakhine State in Myanmar. Yet, it is of the utmost importance that the Court assess the situation obtaining on the ground in Rakhine dispassionately and accurately..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Myanmar State Counsellor Office (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 153.4 KB (6 pages)
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Title: 'The World Has Not Forgotten Us.' A Rohingya Activist Speaks as Myanmar Faces Genocide Case
Description: "Wai Wai Nu is a Rohingya activist, former political prisoner, and founder of the Women Peace Network in Myanmar. Since her release from prison in 2012, Nu has dedicated herself to working for democracy and human rights, particularly on behalf of marginalized women and members of her own ethnic group, the minority Rohingya population. Originally from Rakhine state, Myanmar, she was named as a TIME Next Generation Leader in 2017, and is currently studying at Columbia University as an Obama Foundation scholar. This week, Nu is present at the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest court, in The Hague, the Netherlands for hearings in a landmark case claiming Myanmar has violated the 1948 convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide. Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is leading the country’s defense and said Wednesday that “genocidal intent cannot be the only conclusion.”..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Time"
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar” - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံအတွက် မဟာဗျူဟာမြောက် တရားစွဲဆိုခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ လက်စွဲစာအုပ်
Sub-title: The ICJ today published a “Strategic Litigation Handbook for Myanmar.” In this, the ICJ seeks to offer an accessible, concise and substantial overview of the conceptual basis and purpose of strategic litigation.
Description: "The Handbook shows the potential impacts of strategic litigation in Myanmar, by drawing on experiences from Myanmar and other countries, while recognizing the related challenges and opportunities, as expressed by legal professionals and civil society actors. It is intended to be useful to all legal practitioners and community activists in Myanmar. While there is no universal definition or conception of ‘strategic litigation,’ the term is typically used to describe litigation whereby the interests may go beyond those of the primary litigants. The various adjudication processes it entails are sometimes referred to as ‘public interest litigation’, ‘impact litigation’, ‘test case litigation’, or ‘community lawyering’. What they all have in common is the idea that courts and the law can be used as part of a campaign to achieve broader change in relation to matters seen to be in the broader public interest...ကမ္ဘာ့ဒေသအားလုံးမှ အထင်ကရတရားသူကြီးနှင့် ရှေ့နေပေါင်းအယောက် ၆ဝ ဖြင့်ဖွဲ့စည်းထားသော အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ ဥပဒေပညာရှင်များကော်မရှင် (International Commission of Jurists – ICJ)သည် ပြည်တွင်းနှင့်အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ တရားရေးစနစ်များဖွံဖြိုးတိုးတက်ပြီး ပိုမိုအားကောင်းလာစေရန် ၎င်း၏ဥပဒေဆိုင်ရာကျွမ်းကျင်မှုကို အသုံးချ၍ တရား ဥပဒေစိုးမိုးမှုမှတစ်ဆင့် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးကို ကာကွယ်မြှင့်တင်ပေးပါသည်။ ၁၉၅၂ ခုနှစ်တွင် တည်ထောင်ခဲ့ပြီး ကမ္ဘာ့တိုက် ကြီးငါးခုတွင် လုပ်ကိုင်ဆောင်ရွက်နေသော ICJ သည် အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာလူ့အခွင့်အရေးဥပဒေများနှင့် အပြည်ပြည် ဆိုင်ရာ လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာဥပဒေများ တိုးတက်ဖွံ့ဖြိုးလာစေရန်နှင့် ထိရောက်စွာ အကောင်အထည် ဖော်မှုရှိစေရန်၊ နိုင်ငံသားဆိုင်ရာ၊ ယဉ်ကျေးမှုဆိုင်ရာ၊ စီးပွားရေးဆိုင်ရာနှင့် လူမှုရေးဆိုင်ရာ အခွင့်အရေးများရရှိစေရန်၊ လုပ်ပိုင်ခွင့်အာဏာခွဲခြားသတ်မှတ်ချက်ကိုကာကွယ်ရန်၊ တရားစီရင်ရေးနှင့် ဥပဒေဆိုင်ရာလွတ်လပ်မှုကို အာမခံချက် ပေးနိုင်ရန် ရည်ရွယ်ပါသည်။ အခြားသောပုဂ္ဂိုလ်များအပြင် ဥပဒေပညာရှင်များနှင့် အရပ်ဘက်လူ့အဖွဲ့အစည်းမှ တက်ကြွလှုပ်ရှားသူများနှင့် ဆွေးနွေး မှုများကြောင့်လည်း ဤလက်စွဲစာအုပ်အတွက် အဖိုးတန်သော အချက်အလက်များကို ရရှိခဲ့ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: International Court of Justice (ICJ) (The Hague)
Date of publication: 2019-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 1.23 MB (46 pages)
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi appears at ICJ as UN rights expert urges greater protection for Myanmar activists
Description: "“I call on each and every organ of the Myanmar State to ensure that absolutely no reprisals are taken against any group or individual that is advocating for justice and accountability in Myanmar,” said the independent expert in a statement issued on Tuesday, adding that those targeted include members of the Free Rohingya Coalition. Legal proceedings begin The Rohingya are a mainly Muslim population residing in northern Rakhine state in Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country. More than 600,000 members of the minority group fled to neighbouring Bangladesh following a reported military crackdown in August 2017. Numerous alleged human rights abuses took place, with the then UN human rights chief describing it as bearing all the hallmarks of a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. Ms. Lee recalled that The Gambia in November filed an application against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main judicial organ of the United Nations. The West African country brought the case to the world court on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The ICJ proceedings began on Tuesday in The Hague, with Nobel peace laureate and Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi also present in court to defend the country against accusations of genocide. She is due to address the court on Wednesday. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya, while criminal complaints of genocide and crimes against humanity have been filed in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction..."
Source/publisher: UN News
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi impassive as genocide hearing begins
Sub-title: World’s failure to act over Myanmar is ‘stain on collective conscience’, UN court told
Description: "Aung San Suu Kyi has sat impassively through graphic accounts of mass murder and rape perpetrated by Myanmar’s military at the start of a three-day hearing into allegations of genocide at the UN’s highest court. “I stand before you to awaken the conscience of the world and arouse the voice of the international community,” Abubacarr Marie Tambadou, the Gambia’s attorney general and justice minister, said as he opened his country’s case against Myanmar at the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague. “In the words of Edmund Burke: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ “Another genocide is unfolding right before our eyes yet we do nothing to stop it,” he said. “This is a stain on our collective conscience. It’s not only the state of Myanmar that is on trial here, it’s our collective humanity that is being put on trial.” Before dawn on Tuesday, a long queue had formed outside the Peace Palace in the Dutch city to witness the first of three days of hearings that will focus attention on military clearance operations in 2017 against the Rohingya Muslim minority, 700,000 of whom were forced to flee across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi to appear at ICJ as Myanmar faces genocide case (video)
Description: "Myanmar is preparing to defend itself against charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice on Tuesday. Heading the country's legal team will be leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Ethnic Groups Support ICJ Rohingya Genocide Lawsuit Against Burma Government And Its Military
Sub-title: The International Court of Justice began its hearing on December 10 in The Hague, Netherlands on its genocide lawsuit filed by Gambia against Burma government.
Description: "Prior to the court hearing, several ethnic Karen, Karenni and Shan civil society groups put out a joint statement supporting Gambia’s lawsuit. On December 2, 2019 the Worldwide Karen Community issued a statement welcoming the filing of the genocide case against Burma at the ICJ and the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to proceed with an investigation into the crime of deportation against the Rohingya. The statement endorsed by 48 Karen civil society organizations around the world said that as the Rohingya case, Karen people suffered for decades from systematic human rights violations by the Burma Army. The Worldwide Karen Community statement said; “this is a critical time for action. It is urgently needed for the international community to exert further pressure, including economic sanctions, to push for a complete halt to Burma Army offensives throughout the country – and to start a genuine, inclusive dialogue. Only a new federal constitution, granting the ethnic people their right to autonomy, and bringing the Burma Army under civilian control, can bring an end to the civil war and the ongoing crimes by the Burma Army.” On December 8, the Karen Grassroots Women Network put out a statement supporting the ICJ lawsuit saying that for decades, women have experienced and witnessed the abuse of ethnic people in Burma taking place with impunity..."
Source/publisher: "Karen News" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: 'Genocidal intent': Myanmar faces genocide case at ICJ
Description: "A three-day hearing initiated after Gambia filed lawsuit in November on Rohingya crisis. Aung San Suu Kyi arrived at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Tuesday for a highly anticipated genocide case against Myanmar. The case, the first international legal attempt to bring Myanmar to justice over alleged mass killings of the Rohingya minority, comes after the Gambia on November 11 filed an application at the ICJ, accusing Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: A Journalist Looks Back as Myanmar's Government Faces Genocide Charges
Description: "The sight of more than a dozen young men armed with machetes walking out of a burning village in Western Myanmar is the moment I realized that I was witnessing a genocide in progress. In the eight years I spent documenting a campaign of oppression against the country's ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims, I had heard countless tales from victims who had endured or witnessed atrocities committed by Myanmar's security forces. Now, I was witnessing it in real time during the tail end of a government-approved press tour to Rakhine state’s conflict zone in September of 2017. Two men, barefoot and wearing traditional longyis, stopped briefly on a dirt footpath in front of me as I filmed the destruction. A journalist asked what they were doing. Speaking a local dialect, one replied that they had been ordered by Myanmar's Border Guard Forces (BGF) to burn the village. At their feet lay plastic jugs with diesel fuel. Behind them, orange flames devoured the bamboo huts in the now-empty hamlet of Gaw du Thara.
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "VOA" (Washington, D.C)
Date of publication: 2019-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar's Suu Kyi to take stand in genocide case at The Hague
Sub-title: In an unprecedented move, former human rights icon defends Myanmar generals over mass killings, rape, and displacement.
Description: "Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi will defend genocide allegations against Myanmar's military on Wednesday amid accusations of mass killings, rape, and expulsion of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The Gambia, a small West African country, launched the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations's highest court, alleging it violated the 1948 Genocide Convention. More: New Rohingya book tells of the 'slow burn of genocide' Aung San Suu Kyi arrives at ICJ as Myanmar faces genocide case US slaps sanctions on Myanmar military chief over Rohingya abuses Aung San Suu Kyi - once a human rights icon who fought against the powerful military for democracy - shocked critics and galvanised supporters at home by travelling to The Hague to head her country's delegation. Her office said she was going to "defend the national interest". She listened impassively on Tuesday as lawyers for The Gambia detailed graphic testimony of suffering of Rohingya at the hands of Myanmar's security forces, including gang rape, torture, and murder. "It was very important to see her have to sit inches away from people who were describing - in really painfully excruciating detail - all the horrible crimes of the Burmese military that happened on her watch," Brad Adams, of New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), told Al Jazeera..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-12-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Netherlands: ICJ begins hearings on Myanmar genocide allegations
Description: "The International Court of Justice (ICJ) kicked off its first hearings on The Gambia's case against Myanmar over accusations of genocide against the Rohingya people in The Hague on Tuesday. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, and one-time champion for human rights, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attended Tuesday's hearing at the ICJ, representing Myanmar, in a move which has been widely criticised. "All that The Gambia asks is that you tell Myanmar to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people." Gambia's Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubacarr M. Tambadou said during the hearing. The Gambia is seeking provisional measures to protect the rights of Rohingya people under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention..."
Source/publisher: "Ruptly" (Berlin)
Date of publication: 2019-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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