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A30 world news
Diamars 22 Februari 2022

Myanmar seeks to have Rohingya case thrown out of UN court

ministration installed by the acting as a proxy for the Mus- counterpart from Myanmar,
military. The legal team was lim organization. who was blackballed from
led by Ko Ko Hlaing, the participating but allowed to
minister for international Another lawyer, Stefan Tal- attend online as an observer.
cooperation. He replaced mon, said that Gambia could
pro-democracy icon Aung not bring the case to court as The military launched what
San Suu Kyi, who led the it was not directly linked to it called a clearance campaign
country’s legal team at earlier the events in Myanmar. in Rakhine state in 2017 af-
hearings in the case in 2019. ter an attack by a Rohingya
She now is in prison after “Myanmar submits that the insurgent group. More than
being convicted on what her Gambia lacks standing in the 700,000 Rohingya fled into
supporters call trumped-up present case and that, accord- neighboring Bangladesh and
charges. ingly, its application should security forces were accused
be dismissed as inadmissi- of mass rapes, killings and
As the hearing started, the ble,” Talmon told judges. torching thousands of homes.
court’s president, U.S. Judge
Joan Donoghue, noted “that Lawyers for Gambia are In 2019, lawyers representing
the parties to a contentious scheduled to respond on Gambia at the ICJ outlined
case before the court are Wednesday. their allegations of genocide
states, not particular govern- by showing judges maps, sat-
ments.” Ahead of Monday’s hearing, ellite images and graphic pho-
members of Myanmar’s Na- tos of the military campaign.
A Myanmar rights group tional Unity Government, That led the court to order
questioned the court’s deci- urged the court not to accept Myanmar to do all it can to
sion to allow the military re- representatives of the mili- prevent genocide against the
gime to represent Myanmar, tary rulers. Rohingya. The interim rul-
which was formerly known ing was intended to protect
as Burma. “It would be a most profound the minority while the case is
injustice to the Rohingya if decided in The Hague, a pro-
“We are glad the case is go- the military were to be both cess likely to take years.
ing forward but find it deeply their abusers and have any
troubling that the military voice in the court,” said the Last year’s military takeover
is allowed to appear before unity government’s foreign in Myanmar sparked wide-
the court as representatives minister, Zin Mar Aung. spread peaceful protests and
of Burma,” Burma Human civil disobedience that secu-
Rights Network’s Executive The organization said it has rity forces suppressed with
Director Kyaw Win said in a contacted the court seek- lethal force. About 1,500 ci-
statement. “The coup regime ing to withdraw Myanmar’s vilians have been killed, ac-
is in the middle of a horrific preliminary objections to the cording to the Assistance As-
campaign of violence against case. The national unity gov- sociation for Political Prison-
civilians, and the last thing ernment says it is the coun- ers.
(AP) — Lawyers for Myanmar in the aftermath of they should be given is any try’s only legitimate govern-
Myanmar’s military rul- the military take-over of the legitimacy in a U.N. body.” ment but no foreign govern- The International Court of
ers on Monday sought to country last year. ment has recognized it. Justice rules on state respon-
have a case at the United Hlaing told the court Myan- sibility for breaches of inter-
Nations’ top court that ac- A shadow administration mar had legal challenges to The dispute at the world national law. It is not linked
cuses the Southeast Asian known as the National Unity the court’s jurisdiction and court in The Hague reflects to the International Crimi-
nation of genocide against Government made up of rep- the case’s admissibility, in- a broader struggle in the in- nal Court, also based in The
the Rohingya ethnic mi- resentatives including elected cluding that it should not go ternational community over Hague, which holds individ-
nority dismissed for lack lawmakers who were pre- ahead because the case was whom to accept as Myan- uals accountable for atroci-
of jurisdiction. vented from taking their seats brought by Gambia on behalf mar’s legitimate rulers in the ties. Prosecutors at the ICC
by the military takeover had of the Organization of Islam- aftermath of the coup. are investigating crimes com-
Public hearings at the In- argued that it should be rep- ic States. Lawyer Christopher mitted against the Rohingya
ternational Court of Justice resenting Myanmar in court. Staker argued that the court Southeast Asian foreign min- who were forced to flee to
went ahead amid questions can only hear cases between isters held their annual re- Bangladesh but have not yet
about who should represent But, instead, it was the ad- states and that Gambia was treat last week without their filed any indictments.

Portugal’s drought worsens, rainfall down

to 7% of average

(AP) — Portugal’s winter rainfall is expected for the Periods of droughts aren’t
drought is getting worse, rest of the month, while unusual in Portugal, but the
with the national weather temperatures are forecast to country has witnessed an in-
agency reporting Monday remain above normal and the crease in their frequency over
that 91% of the country drought worsens. the past 20-30 years, IPMA
is enduring “severe” or scientists say.
“extreme” drought condi- The Portuguese government
tions. is already restricting the use The most recent droughts
of reservoirs for hydroelec- were in 2005, 2012 and 2017.
Average rainfall for Feb. 1-15 tric power production, in or-
was just 7% of the average der to save water for public Scientists estimate that Por-
over a 30-year period, the consumption, and farmers tugal will see a drop in aver-
IPMA said. are asking for financial aid age annual rainfall of 20% to
because of a lack of grass for 40% by the end of the cen-
It added that no significant their livestock. tury.