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'Lack of gravity' - Gambia slams Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' in Rohingya 'genocide' case at ICJ

'Lack of gravity' - Gambia slams Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' in Rohingya 'genocide' case at ICJ

"Counsel for Gambia hit back at Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' over the alleged 'genocide' related to the Rohingya group at The Hague on Monday, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began a landmark hearing on the case. "Mr President, it doesn't take a Newton, Professor Michael of Vanderbilt or Sir Isaac of the English Enlightenment to appreciate the lack of gravity in Myanmar's argument. With the evidence so overwhelmingly against it, Myanmar has no choice but to invent a reason, no matter how unreasonable, to disqualify that evidence. Myanmar has got it completely wrong," Paul Reichler, Counsel to Gambia said. "These reports comprise more than 600 pages and provide, inter alia, detailed descriptions of the so-called clearance operations carried out by Myanmar's army, the Tatmadaw, in northern Rakhine State, where the majority of the Rohingya group lived. In conducting their investigation and producing these reports, the FFM interviewed 1,294 victims, witnesses, perpetrators, and former Myanmar officials. They also reviewed satellite imagery, video and photo material, as well as internal documents, laws, policies, and directives of Myanmar," he added. This comes after counsel for Myanmar has challenged the ‘accuracy, credibility, and impartiality’ of UN reports, labelling them as ‘second-hand’ and ‘unreliable.’ The case was initially filed on November 11, 2019, citing Article IX of the Convention. Myanmar has always maintained that the crackdown by armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, was about rooting out Rohingya insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead. Its legal team will present defence arguments on January 16-20. The oral hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are scheduled to last for nearly three weeks. Sessions with alleged Rohingya victims are closed to the public. A decision could take up to a year, and the court has no powers of enforcement. More than 742,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar following the crackdown. Before 2017, roughly one million Rohingya lived in Myanmar, making up a small minority of the country's 55 million people. Most now reside in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in the world's largest refugee camp, living in dire conditions while relying on international support."

'Lack of gravity' - Gambia slams Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' in Rohingya 'genocide' case at ICJ

'Lack of gravity' - Gambia slams Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' in Rohingya 'genocide' case at ICJ

"Counsel for Gambia hit back at Myanmar for denying 'overwhelming evidence' over the alleged 'genocide' related to the Rohingya group at The Hague on Monday, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began a landmark hearing on the case. "Mr President, it doesn't take a Newton, Professor Michael of Vanderbilt or Sir Isaac of the English Enlightenment to appreciate the lack of gravity in Myanmar's argument. With the evidence so overwhelmingly against it, Myanmar has no choice but to invent a reason, no matter how unreasonable, to disqualify that evidence. Myanmar has got it completely wrong," Paul Reichler, Counsel to Gambia said. "These reports comprise more than 600 pages and provide, inter alia, detailed descriptions of the so-called clearance operations carried out by Myanmar's army, the Tatmadaw, in northern Rakhine State, where the majority of the Rohingya group lived. In conducting their investigation and producing these reports, the FFM interviewed 1,294 victims, witnesses, perpetrators, and former Myanmar officials. They also reviewed satellite imagery, video and photo material, as well as internal documents, laws, policies, and directives of Myanmar," he added. This comes after counsel for Myanmar has challenged the ‘accuracy, credibility, and impartiality’ of UN reports, labelling them as ‘second-hand’ and ‘unreliable.’ The case was initially filed on November 11, 2019, citing Article IX of the Convention. Myanmar has always maintained that the crackdown by armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, was about rooting out Rohingya insurgents after a series of attacks left a dozen security personnel dead. Its legal team will present defence arguments on January 16-20. The oral hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are scheduled to last for nearly three weeks. Sessions with alleged Rohingya victims are closed to the public. A decision could take up to a year, and the court has no powers of enforcement. More than 742,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar following the crackdown. Before 2017, roughly one million Rohingya lived in Myanmar, making up a small minority of the country's 55 million people. Most now reside in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in the world's largest refugee camp, living in dire conditions while relying on international support."