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UUSC Applauds International Court of Justice’s Ruling Against Burma

Judgment is a step towards greater accountability for the Burmese military

Cambridge, MA—The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is applauding today’s International Court of Justice ruling that it can hear the case of whether the Burmese (Myanmar) military has committed acts of genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority, and says it is hoping this will lead to meaningful justice.

“There is no question the Burmese junta has committed genocide against the Rohingya people, and today’s ruling is a small step forward to justice and accountability,” said UUSC president, Rev. Mary Katherine Morn. “We hope the international community will make the right decision by recognizing the military’s ongoing campaign of bombing, rape, and murder for what it is: genocide.”

The Gambia brought charges of genocide against the Burmese military to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in 2019. However, in February 2022, the military council protested and claimed the ICJ has no right to hear the case. Today’s decision overrules that objection. In March this year, the Biden administration made an official determination that the Burmese military has committed acts of genocide.

Since the 2021 coup, the Burmese military has ruthlessly murdered over 2,000 civilians, arrested more than 14,000, and internally displaced over one million people. The military continues to persecute the Rohingya, putting over 100,000 Rohingya in displacement camps by the end of 2021.

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The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a human rights and solidarity organization founded as a rescue mission in 1940 during the Holocaust. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and with a membership of more than 35,000 supporters across the United States, UUSC’s programs focus on the issues of climate and disaster justice, migrant justice, and international justice and accountability.