ICJ Begins Hearings on Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case

Is Myanmar uniquely guilty of genocide, or should this case lead to the convictions of other countries like Israel?

Published 2 days ago

ICJ Begins Hearings on Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case

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Above: The International Court of Justice begins its Myanmar case in the Netherlands on Jan. 12. Image credit: Phil Nijhuis/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Myanmar's case stands apart as evidence shows clear genocidal intent — mass killings, gang rape, village burnings and the forced expulsion of more than 700,000 Rohingya in a coordinated military campaign. U.N. investigators, U.S. determinations and survivor testimony align on intent to destroy a group in whole or part. With state conduct documented and denied implausibly, the ICJ has rare grounds for a genocide conviction.

The Telegraph The Jerusalem Post

Kenneth Roth on X

Establishment-critical narrative

Myanmar should be convicted, but justice cannot stop there. If the ICJ affirms that mass killing, displacement, and deliberate destruction of a protected group trigger genocide obligations, the same standard must apply universally. Selective accountability undermines the Genocide Convention. The court's credibility depends on pursuing all states credibly accused of genocidal conduct, including Israel, where provisional measures and mounting evidence demand equal scrutiny.

Human Rights Watch Al Jazeera