The Hague

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ highest judicial body, has announced that it will conduct public hearings in January 2026 in the case accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya population.

According to a press statement released on Friday, the hearings in the matter titled “Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar), with the intervention of 11 States” will be held at the Peace Palace in The Hague from January 12 to January 29, 2026.

The proceedings stem from a case filed on November 11, 2019, when The Gambia approached the ICJ alleging that Myanmar had violated its obligations under the UN Genocide Convention through actions taken against the Rohingya community. The application relates to alleged atrocities committed during the military crackdown in 2017.

Myanmar has repeatedly rejected the accusations, denying claims that its armed forces and allied Buddhist militias carried out acts amounting to genocide against the Rohingya.

In its submissions, The Gambia has urged the Court to rule that Myanmar breached the Genocide Convention, order an immediate halt to any unlawful conduct, mandate reparations for Rohingya victims, and require guarantees to prevent future violations.

The West African nation invoked Article IX of the Genocide Convention to establish the Court’s jurisdiction and sought provisional measures alongside its original application.

On January 23, 2020, the ICJ directed Myanmar to comply with several interim measures, including preventing acts covered under the Convention and safeguarding evidence linked to the allegations.

Subsequently, both sides submitted written pleadings in two rounds addressing the merits of the case. The ICJ stated that the upcoming hearings will focus on substantive issues and will include testimony from witnesses and expert evidence presented by the parties.

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As reported by Al Jazeera, the case is being closely watched internationally, as it may have implications for other genocide-related proceedings, including South Africa’s case against Israel over the Gaza conflict. Notably, this marks the first time in over a decade that the ICJ will hear a genocide case at the merits stage.