The first hearing will be in December at Gambia’s request
Banjul … News Time
The government of the West African country Gambia has filed a lawsuit against the South Asian country Myanmar in a United Nations court over the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. According to a foreign news agency AFP report, Gambia has said that the case has been brought to the international court against 57 Myanmar by the 57th Islamic Cooperation Organization (OIC). The legal request states that Myanmar violated the UN Genocide Convention 1948, and took military action against the Muslim minority Rohingya in Rakhine State.
Gambia Minister of Justice Aboubacarr Tambadou said in a statement that Myanmar’s crimes against Rohingya Muslims should be held accountable. Gambia’s lawyers termed the case historic, saying the court is expected to take immediate steps to protect the Rohingya from further harm. The first hearing will be in December at Gambia’s request.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), while giving its stand on the request of the African country, said it was the first legal action against Myanmar over alleged crimes against the Rohingya. HRW expert Pram Pritam Singh said the court could take immediate action to stop the worst crimes in Myanmar. The Gambia Ministry of Justice said the court has been ordered to immediately stop genocide and to punish those who committed the crime and to return Rohingya victims. The statement said Myanmar has failed to keep its promises on issues of genocide prevention and punishment. And state sources were worst used to destroy the Rohingya minority.
The Gambia government says it has filed a case on behalf of other OIC members and Aboubacarr Tambadou visited Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, which have previously been prosecutors for genocide in international court. Remember that in 2017 in Rakhine state of Myanmar, Muslims and local extremists suffered the worst atrocities against Muslims. After that, Rohingya minority neighbors were forced to migrate to Bangladesh. Later, other world powers, including the United Nations, called the Myanmar process genocide, and the government’s military was involved. Following the investigation by the Myanmar government, several generals and others were also convicted in Rakhine for admitting to such crimes.
Be aware that Bosnia had previously been prosecuted in Serbia in the International Court of Justice which was filed in 1990 for crimes committed during the former Yugoslavia conflict. The case for genocide in Bosnia ended in 2007, in which Serbia was convicted in 1995 of failing to stop genocide-like crimes, as well as failing to cooperate with the War Crimes Tribunals.
