International court of justice has never before found a state guilty of genocide, and ruling will have implications for case against Israel
The world’s top court will deliver a judgment this week on whether Myanmar committed genocide against its Rohingya minority, in a landmark case that will set a critical 21st-century benchmark for the gravest of all international crimes.
The closely watched judgment could become one of the most significant moments in international law since the end of the second world war.
The international court of justice (ICJ) has never found a state responsible for genocide, a crime defined after the Nazi-led Holocaust. The ruling will have implications for a separate high-profile genocide case against Israel.
Nearly a decade after a military campaign forced hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya to flee across the border, the ICJ in The Hague will deliver its judgment on Thursday morning.
“The ICJ ruling will be historic for Rohingya survivors and their families around the world,” said Yanghee Lee, a former UN rights investigator to Myanmar.
“The international community failed to prevent Myanmar military atrocities against the Rohingya nine years ago. It must seize this opportunity to finally secure justice for the Rohingya and begin to reckon with these failings.”