Historic ruling from the ICJ tells Myanmar to take provisional measures to prevent genocide: February 5, 2020

On 11 November 2019, Gambia filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Myanmar of breaching its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The complaint included an urgent request for the Court to order “provisional measures” to prevent all acts that may amount to or contribute to the crime of genocide against the Rohingya and protect the community from further harm while the case is being adjudicated. De facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, rejected accusations of genocide, and urged the court to reject the case and refuse the request for provisional measures. At the end of last month, the Myanmar government- established Independent Commission of Enquiry concluded that while the Myanmar security forces may have been responsible for war crimes and “disproportionate use of force”, it found no evidence of genocidal intent. The full report has yet to be made public. However, the International Court of Justice has now officially ordered Myanmar to take “provisional measures” to prevent genocidal acts against the Rohingya community. Lillian Hanly spoke with Francisco Bencosme, the Asia Advocacy Manager for Amnesty USA, about what this means.