Ms Jones also referred to a video posted on Facebook in August 2017 showing a soldier showing “clear encouragement of genocidal violence against the Rohingya”, actions that would constitute a clear violation of Myanmar’s obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
“He told them, and I quote, ‘We will clean up the villages where those animals live. We have weapons, we have bullets. That’s what we came with, with ammunition and the spirit to attack the animals, we have come here. If you can carry a sword, carry a sword. If you can carry a stick, then carry a stick. Carry whatever you can and bravely face these animals.'”
Gambia, a Muslim-majority nation, alleges that Myanmar’s military rulers committed brutal acts of genocide against the Rohingya people from 2016 to 2018 in northern Rakhine state.
These violations included mass executions, the indiscriminate killing of up to 10,000 civilians, including women and children, widespread sexual violence, and the deliberate burning of hundreds of villages.
‘Textbook ethnic cleansing’
In 2017, then-UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein described violence against the Rohingya as a classic example of “ethnic cleansing” that had forced around 700,000 of them to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, where most remain today.
In 2020, the international court ordered Myanmar to end its genocidal acts, following a request from The Gambia, which now seeks to hold Myanmar accountable for its actions and ensure restitution and compensation for victims. Myanmar has long denied intentionally persecuting the Rohingya and has cited conducting counterinsurgency operations.
emblematic case
The case is widely considered a milestone, as it is the first time that ICJ judges have had to rule on a dispute brought by a country that has not been affected by the alleged crime.
Next week, three Rohingya witnesses will present their harrowing testimonies in court as members of the “wrong group at the wrong time and in the wrong place” who witnessed the murder of their spouses and children, said Philippe Sands of the Gambia, in his closing remarks.
The ICJ is the highest judicial body of the UN. Resolves legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on issues of international law. It does not judge individuals but rather determines the responsibility of the State.
The hearings in The Hague continue until January 29.