Anadolu Agency, Trenton, Canada :
Canada on Monday lauded Gambia’s bid to bring Myanmar to court to answer genocide charges against its Rohingya minority.
“Canada welcomes Gambia’s submission to the International Court of Justice of an application to institute proceedings against the Government of Myanmar for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.
Gambia said Monday it had filed the 46-page application on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Co-operation, which represents 57 Muslim countries. If the court decides to pursue the case, it will be the first time it will look into genocide claims on its own rather than relying on testimony from other tribunals.
“This move will help advance accountability for the genocide, which includes acts of mass murder, systemic discrimination, hate speech and sexual and gender-based violence against the Rohingya, including violence that took place in August 2017, forcing over 740,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and triggering the creation of the largest refugee camp in the world,” Freeland said. “Canada will work with other like-minded countries to end impunity for those accused of committing the gravest crimes under international law. Together with our partners, we will explore options to support Gambia in these efforts, with assistance from Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, the Honorable Bob Rae.
