\n Myanmar on Friday dismissed as \"unsubstantiated\" allegations that it committed genocide against its Rohingya minority, telling the International Court of Justice that its brutal crackdown was a \"counter-terrorism operation.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Myanmar is defending itself at the United Nations top court from accusations brought by The Gambia that its actions against the Rohingya breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"This case will be decided on the basis of proven facts, not unsubstantiated allegations. Emotional language and blurry factual pictures are not a substitute for a rigorous presentation of facts,\" Ko Ko Hlaing, a minister in the president's office, told the court.\n<\/p>\n
\n Myanmar has always maintained the 2017 crackdown by its armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, was justified to root out Rohingya insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Myanmar was not obliged to remain idle and allow terrorists to have free reign of northern Rakhine states,\" Hlaing told the judges.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"These attacks were the reasons for the clearance operations, which is a military term referring to counter-insurgency or counter-terrorism operations,\" added Hlaing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Judges are hearing three weeks of evidence before deciding whether Myanmar was in breach of the Genocide Convention with its violent actions against the Rohingya.\n<\/p>\n
\n Under this convention, any state can drag any other before the ICJ, which settles disputes between countries, if it believes a breach has occurred.\n<\/p>\n
\n A final decision could take months or even years, and while the ICJ has no means of enforcing its decisions, a ruling in favour of The Gambia would heap more political pressure on Myanmar.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"A finding of genocide would place an indelible stain on my country and its people,\" said Hlaing.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"These proceedings are of the fundamental importance for my country's reputation and future.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Genocidal intent'\n<\/p>\n
\n Before Myanmar took the stand, representatives from The Gambia laid bare days of harrowing evidence about the crackdown, including mass rape, indiscriminate murder, and torture.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Rohingya were \"targeted for destruction\", The Gambia's justice minister told the judges.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"When the court considers... all of the evidence taken together, the only reasonable conclusion to reach is that a genocidal intent permeated and informed Myanmar's myriad of state-led actions against the Rohingya,\" said Philippe Sands, arguing for The Gambia.\n<\/p>\n
\n Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled violence by the Myanmar army and Buddhist militias, escaping to neighbouring Bangladesh and bringing harrowing accounts of mass atrocities.\n<\/p>\n
\n Today, 1.17 million Rohingya live crammed into dilapidated camps spread over 8,000 acres in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Let me also clear that Myanmar is committed to achieving the repatriation to Myanmar of persons from Rakhine State currently living in camps in Bangladesh,\" said Hlaing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Legal experts are watching proceedings closely as it may give clues for how the court will handle similar accusations against Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, in a case brought to the ICJ by South Africa.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ICJ hearings wrap up on January 29. Judges will hear evidence from victims in a closed session before both sides make final statements.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ICJ is not the only court looking into possible genocide against the Rohingya -- other cases are underway at the International Criminal Court and in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Myanmar on Friday dismissed as \"unsubstantiated\" allegations that it committed genocide against its Rohingya minority, telling the International Court of Justice that its brutal crackdown was a \"counter-terrorism operation.\" Myanmar is defending itself at the United Nations top court from accusations brought by The Gambia that its actions against the Rohingya breached the 1948 UN […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-154366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n