ICJ Begins Hearings on Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Myanmar's case stands apart as evidence shows clear genocidal intent — mass killings, gang rape, village burnings and the forced expulsion of more than 700,000 Rohingya in a coordinated military campaign. U.N. investigators, U.S. determinations and survivor testimony align on intent to destroy a group in whole or part. With state conduct documented and denied implausibly, the ICJ has rare grounds for a genocide conviction.
Establishment-critical narrative
Myanmar should be convicted, but justice cannot stop there. If the ICJ affirms that mass killing, displacement, and deliberate destruction of a protected group trigger genocide obligations, the same standard must apply universally. Selective accountability undermines the Genocide Convention. The court's credibility depends on pursuing all states credibly accused of genocidal conduct, including Israel, where provisional measures and mounting evidence demand equal scrutiny.