U.N. high court begins 3-day hearing over Rohingya 'genocide' in Myanmar

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived at the International Court of Justice Tuesday for the start of a three-day hearing, where she will defend her nation against charges of genocide and other crimes against Muslim Rohingya.

The hearing began Tuesday at the United Nations' top court in the Netherlands.
Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader and the 1991 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, will guard against accusations of violence and rape against Myanmar forces against the minority Muslim population in the Asian nation. The United Nations has long considered the violence against the Rohingya a form of genocide.

Some of the accusations say Myanmar's military violently forced more than 740,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in 2016 and 2017.

Gambia Attorney General Abubacarr Marie Tamadou condemned Myanmar's actions, telling the court Tuesday the world ignored them.

Along with Suu Kyi, several Rohingya members attended the first day, supported by human rights group Legal Action Worldwide. They arrived from a Rohingya refugee camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh.

Human rights groups say Rohingya were targeted with random killings, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and torture from Myanmar forces and supporters.

"The international community is many years too late on taking action in Myanmar, but this case represents the first hope in decades for the Rohingya and other persecuted ethnic groups in the country," Akila Radhakrishnan, of the Global Justice Center in New York, said before Tuesday's hearing.

Suu Kyi is expected to testify Wednesday.