ICJ to rule on emergency measures on Myanmar over 'genocide'

The Gambia says the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will announce its decision next week on a request to impose emergency measures on Myanmar over genocide against the Rohingya Muslims.

The ICJ will issue its decision on emergency measures on January 23, the Gambian Ministry of Justice announced on Twitter early Wednesday.

Last month, the UN's top court at The Hague opened a historic three-day hearing into accusations of genocide brought against Myanmar over its brutal 2017 crackdown against the Rohingya Muslims.

It was the first major legal attempt to bring the country to justice over horrific atrocities committed against the persecuted community. 

It followed lawsuit filed by the Gambia in November. The West African country had called on the ICJ to take emergency measures to halt Myanmar’s ongoing genocidal actions against the Rohingya.

The Gambia accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention at the December hearing.

It also alleged that Myanmar was committing "an ongoing genocide" against Muslims, calling for emergency measures to prevent the Buddhist-majority country from committing any further atrocities.

"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,” Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou told the judges.

Myanmar faces genocide accusations for persecuting Rohingya

Myanmar’s government faces accusations of involvement in genocide.

Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended her country's atrocities against at the ICJ.

She claimed that the military's actions were in fact a "clearance operation" in response to militant attacks against police stations in Rakhine State.

Suu Kyi then accused the Gambia, acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, of making "incomplete and misleading" accusations and said the case should not be heard by The Hague. 

Suu Kyi said while disproportionate military force may have been used and civilians killed, the acts did not constitute genocide.

If the court rules in the Gambia's favor, this would be just the first step in a case likely to take years.

A United Nations fact-finding mission has previously found that “the gravest crimes under international law” have been committed in Myanmar and called for genocide trials.  

The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently approved a long-awaited full investigation into the crimes against the Rohingya minority.

Myanmar has long considered the Rohingya to be "Bengalis" from Bangladesh even though their families have lived in the country for generations.

In 2017, a military-led crackdown in Myanmar, which UN investigators have said was conducted with “genocidal intent,” prompted some 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, which was already hosting some 200,000 Rohingya when the exodus began.

Thousands still remain in Myanmar under apartheid-like conditions, confined to camps and villages and denied access to healthcare and education. 

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