Netherlands joins genocide case against Myanmar

The Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Maldives, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany want to join the lawsuit against Myanmar for genocide against the Rohingya, an ethnic minority living in western Myanmar, according to a statement that the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) published on Thursday.

Gambia filed a lawsuit against Myanmar in 2019 under the Genocide Convention, accusing Myanmar security forces of widespread and systematic “cleansing” against the Rohingya people. “Genocidal acts committed during these operations were intended to destroy, in whole or in part, the Rohingya as a group through mass murder, rape, and other forms of sexual violence,” Gambia said.

Gambia further stated that Myanmar forces systematically destroyed Rohingya villages by arson, with residents often trapped in burning homes.

The Netherlands and the other mentioned countries want to join this lawsuit, they informed the ICJ. The countries involved raised concerns “over the continued . . . human rights violations and barbarous assaults against the Rohingya Muslims,” the Maldives said, according to the ICJ. They recognize the need for “international cooperation in the quest to prevent and punish genocide.”

The International Court of Justice, located in the Peace Palace in The Hague, is the highest legal organ of the United Nations. It deals almost exclusively with disputes between states. It was established in 1945 by a UN Security Council resolution, and its magistrates are elected by the UN General Assembly.