UN orders Myanmar to stop Rohingya genocide
Landmark ruling ‘obliterates’ any remnants of Aung San Suu Kyi’s international reputation

The top court at the United Nations has ordered Myanmar to prevent acts of genocide against its minority Rohingya population, effectively imposing an injunction against further action while the main trial takes place.
In what CNN described as a “landmark case” at The Hague, the tiny West African nation of Gambia asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to enact provisional measures to compel the Myanmar government and military to end all acts that amount to or contribute to genocide, and to ensure Myanmar preserves evidence that could play a part in the case to come.
Thousands were killed and more than 740,000 majority-Muslim Rohingya forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017 as part of a military crackdown which also included gang rape, mass killings and torture.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The emergency measures act like an injunction while the main genocide case gets underway,” says CNN, adding that the central trial “could take years to reach a verdict”.
Reuters reports that Rohingya activists, who had come from all over the world to the Hague, “reacted with joy to the unanimous ruling which also explicitly recognised their ethnic minority as a protected group under the [1948] Genocide Convention”.
Writing in the Financial Times, Nobel prize winner and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who defended the regime in front of the ICJ in December, criticised “the ways in which unsubstantiated narratives are relied upon by the UN and non-governmental organisations”.
“The international justice system may not yet be equipped to filter out misleading information before shadows of incrimination are cast over entire nations and governments,” she wrote.
However, John Reed for the FT says the ruling represents a “stinging rejection of arguments made personally by Aung San Suu Kyi” with BBC Myanmar correspondent Nick Beake claiming “this judgment has surely obliterated any remnants” of her international reputation.
“Even her biggest critics used to acknowledge she doesn't control the still powerful Burmese army, but now she has destroyed the firewall between her and the generals by trying - and failing - to justify their actions,” Beake says.
But while her decision to defend the actions of the military regime have startled international observers, Suu Kyi’s appearance in front of the ICJ won widespread approval back home ahead of elections later this year.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Five best ways to save money at the petrol pump
The Explainer You don't have to wait for petrol prices to fall to reduce your fuel costs
-
Exurbs: America's biggest housing trend you haven't heard of
Under the Radar Northeastern exurbs were the nation's biggest housing markets in 2024
-
How to enjoy a coolcation in Sweden
The Week Recommends You won't break a sweat on Lake Asnen or underground at the Adventure Mine
-
Canada’s troubled relationship with its indigenous population
feature State grappling with reparations amid accusations of genocides against First Nations people
-
The Week Unwrapped: Synthetic fuel, Myanmar and an energy rebate
podcast Could fuels made from CO2 and hydrogen end our dependence on oil? What’s happening in Myanmar? And will energy companies pay us to use less power?
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’