Genocide accusation against Myanmar: Germany also sues
Germany and five other countries want to join Gambia's genocide lawsuit against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice. A corresponding declaration of intent by the countries was published by the court in The Hague. In addition to Germany, the countries involved are Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Canada.
The Gambia had brought Myanmar before the court in 2019 for genocide against the Muslim Rohingya minority. The highest court of the United Nations had already declared last year that it had jurisdiction in this matter. It has not yet been decided when the main hearing will take place. Trials before the International Court of Justice can drag on for years.
What is at stake?
Since 2017, Myanmar's military has allegedly murdered thousands of people, raped women and children, razed villages to the ground and burned people alive in their homes. More than 700,000 people have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.
The UN court had already ordered Myanmar to immediately protect the Rohingya in an interim ruling in 2020. At the time, the then head of government and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, rejected the accusations in The Hague. She was imprisoned after the coup in 2021.
The UN court rules in cases of conflict between states. Its judgments are binding. In contrast, the International Criminal Court, also based in The Hague, prosecutes individual suspects.
The UN, along with Germany and four other nations, are aiming to join Gambia's lawsuit against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, seeking justice for the allegations of genocide against the Rohingya minority. The UN has previously declared its jurisdiction in this matter, with Myanmar's military accused of killing thousands, raping women and children, and burning homes since 2017.
Source: www.dpa.com
