Myanmar has begun its defense at the International Court of Justice, rejecting accusations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority. A government representative, Ko Ko Hlaing, argued that The Gambia which brought the case has not provided sufficient evidence and called the allegations “unsubstantiated.”
The Gambia’s legal team earlier this week accused Myanmar of pursuing “genocidal policies” aimed at erasing the Rohingya population, citing a 2017 military crackdown that led to thousands of deaths and over 700,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh. Myanmar maintains its operations were counter-terrorism measures targeting insurgent threats in Rakhine State.
