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UK Must Support Genocide Case At ICJ

December 19th, 2019  •  Author:   Burma Campaign UK  •  2 minute read
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Burma Campaign UK is calling on the British government to join the 59 countries already supporting the case of genocide against Burma at the International Court of Justice.

To date, the 57 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Canada and The Netherlands support the case.

Last week saw astonishing scenes at the International Court of Justice. The Gambia brought forward charges of genocide of the Rohingya to the court. For the first time in more than 70 years, the Burmese military were facing charges in court for the human rights violations they commit.

The significance of the case this was such that even though the case was only about human rights violations against the Rohingya, dozens of community organisations from many other ethnic groups in Burma voiced support for the case.

Britain is penholder on Burma at the United Nations Security Council, putting it in a global leadership position. Instead of playing its leadership role, the UK is behind 59 other countries, and The Gambia is leading international efforts to secure justice for the Rohingya.

“The British government is simply missing in action when it comes to supporting international efforts for justice and accountability for human rights violations in Burma,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “The British government cannot credibly claim to be supporting justice for the Rohingya when it is not supporting a referral of Burma to the International Criminal Court, and not supporting the genocide case at the International Court of Justice.”

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