Voice of America
15 Jan 2022, 00:36 GMT+10
Representatives of Myanmar's junta are expected to challenge the jurisdiction of the World Court to hear allegations the country committed genocide against its Rohingya minority in a fresh round of hearings scheduled to begin February 21, the attorney general of Gambia, which brought the case, told Reuters Friday.
'A hybrid hearing [is] set to commence on the 21st of February, 2022,' Gambian Attorney General Dawda Jallow said. He added that Aung San Suu Kyi, who led Myanmar's defense at the first public hearings in 2019 but has since been deposed by the military, had been formally replaced as its top representative in the case.
A hybrid hearing is a procedure where some of the participants are present in person and others participate online due to COVID-19 measures.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar after a military-led crackdown in 2017 and were forced into squalid camps across the border in Bangladesh. U.N. investigators concluded the military campaign had been executed with 'genocidal intent.'
An ICJ spokesperson declined to confirm dates for a new hearing had been scheduled.
In December 2019 Nobel peace prize laureate Suu Kyi, then Myanmar's civilian leader, personally attended hearings at The Hague to ask judges to dismiss the case.
She was deposed in a 2021 coup and has since been sentenced to six years in detention and faces a slew of further charges.
The army takeover of the democratically elected government led to widespread protests.
The military government has been fighting for international recognition and could be eager for the opportunity to show themselves as Myanmar's legitimate representatives at the U.N.'s top court.
Sources close to the case say the junta has been engaging with the court to submit court-ordered reports every six months on the situation with the Rohingya. The reports are not public.
The next step in ICJ proceedings is Myanmar's challenge to the jurisdiction of the court. The question if genocide was committed in Myanmar will be dealt with in later hearings.
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationOTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...
Wellington [New Zealand], July 9 (ANI): Ahead of the tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, New Zealand have suffered a major...
Windhoek [Namibia], July 9 (ANI): The Indian diaspora in Namibia expressed immense excitement and anticipation as Prime Minister Narendra...
CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two countries, China-Egypt relations have, over the past years,...
The cooperation between developing countries and China cannot be underestimated, Sharaf said. If fully activated, it would create tremendous...
Windhoek [Namibia], July 9 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, on Wednesday morning (local...
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Incharge of Communication, Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday launched a fresh...