Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:07am on 12 Jan 2026,Monday International
The International Court of Justice begins three-week hearings today on Myanmar's alleged genocide against Rohingya Muslims during the 2017 military crackdown. The Gambia filed the case in 2019, accusing Myanmar of breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, reporting mass rape, arson, and murder; 1.17 million now inhabit Cox's Bazar refugee camps. The ICJ ordered provisional measures in 2020 requiring Myanmar to prevent genocidal acts. The US declared the violence genocide in 2022. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, now detained since 2021, previously defended Myanmar, calling it an "internal armed conflict." Legal experts view this case as precedent for similar accusations against Israel regarding Gaza. (PC: AFP)
