Case against Myanmar: A long overdue initiative
On behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), The Gambia has recently filed a case against Myanmar with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing genocide on the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State. Even though such an initiative was long overdue, it finally seems that Myanmar and its officials can be held accountable, thanks to the noble step taken by the Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou.
The allegation that has been submitted to the ICJ focuses on the “systematic ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Ironically, like Gambia, Myanmar too is a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention which explicitly prohibits states from committing genocide. It is indeed shameful that despite the accusations made by the Rohingya about the horror that was unleashed upon them, Myanmar continues to disregard the claims, mostly due to their sense of impunity.
However, after such a promising step taken by Gambia, now it is only a matter of time before the perpetrators of human rights violations in Myanmar are brought to book.
Ali Asgar, by email
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