UK decision to intervene in Rohingya case before International Court of Justice hailed

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Rights groups have hailed the UK government's decision to intervene in the Rohingya case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“The UK government’s decision to intervene in the (Rohingya) case sends a strong message of solidarity to the Rohingya people five years since the genocidal attacks in Rakhine state,” said Kyaw Win, executive director of the London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN).

“International justice can have a preventative effect and stop future atrocities by the brutal junta in Burma,” Win said in a statement.

According to BHRN, 60 countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, UK, and all 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), supported the case.

Amanda Milling, the British minister for Asia, confirmed the UK's intention to intervene in the ICJ case between the Gambia and Myanmar on Thursday.

On July 22, the ICJ rejected Myanmar's preliminary objections to Gambia's case filed in November 2019 under the International Genocide Convention for alleged genocide against ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State, with a focus on military operations launched in October 2016 and August 2017.

In January 2020, the ICJ unanimously issued provisional measures of protection for the Rohingya people, requiring Myanmar to ensure that the military and other security forces do not commit acts of genocide.

On Thursday, the Rohingya, who the UN calls the world's most persecuted people, and their allies commemorated five years of "Genocide Remembrance Day" and their forcible exodus from the Rakhine state.

According to BHRN data, nearly 600,000 Rohingya people are still trapped in the Rakhine state "under a system of discriminatory laws and policies that amount to crimes against humanity and ongoing genocide."

“Since the attempted military coup on 1 Feb. 2021, the human rights situation of the Rohingya has further deteriorated with Rohingya facing tightened restrictions on their fundamental freedoms and are increasingly at risk of being subjected to further atrocity crimes,” the rights group said.

The Burmese military, locally known as Tatmadaw, launched a coup last year overthrowing the government of the National League for Democracy.

The rights group also lauded the Gambia’s role, saying the steps “towards ending impunity for those committing atrocities in Myanmar should be fully supported by the international community."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​