World Court fixes time-limits for filing of initial pleadings in Rohingya genocide case

The International Court of Justice has fixed the time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings in the case against Myanmar over alleged genocide against its minority Rohingya population.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Jan 2020, 08:26 PM
Updated : 28 Jan 2020, 08:26 PM


The World Court in an order published on Tuesday and dated Jan 23 said it fixed the time-limits taking into account the “exceptional circumstances of the case and its gravity”.

Gambia, which started the case, will get until July 23 to file a memorial.

For Myanmar, the deadline for filing a counter-memorial is Jan 25, 2021.

The top UN court in The Hague on Jan 23 ordered Myanmar to take urgent measures to protect the Rohingya from genocide, a ruling cheered by refugees as their first major legal victory since being forced from their homes to Bangladesh.

In the unanimous verdict, it also asked Myanmar to submit a report back within four months confirming measures taken to comply with the decision, and then continue reporting every six months.

Myanmar shrugged off the orders saying it has already put in place measures to protect Rohingya Muslims.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled western Rakhine state for neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017 to escape a military-led crackdown that the UN has said was executed with genocidal intent. Myanmar says the military campaign was a legitimate counter-insurgency operation launched in response to militant attacks on security forces.

Some 600,000 Rohingya remain inside Myanmar, confined in apartheid-like conditions to camps and villages, unable to freely access healthcare and education.

They are derided as "Bengalis", implying they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite tracing their history in Rakhine back centuries.