The International Court of Justice today opens hearings into charges Myanmar committed a genocide against a mostly Muslim minority group.
The three-week case centers on the Myanmar authorities’ 2019 offensive against the Rohingya population, in which hundreds of thousands were driven into neighbouring Bangladesh alongside reports of mass killings, rapes, and other acts of violence.
The trial — the first that the ICJ has taken up in full in more than a decade — has ramifications that extend far beyond Myanmar: The allegations were brought by The Gambia, which took the lead alongside a number of Muslim countries in pushing for the case; and the verdict could have significant consequences for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over the Gaza war.