ICJ to deliver Rohingya genocide judgment on 19 November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Human Rights Watch
The International Court of Justice will deliver its judgment on 19 November 2026 in The Gambia’s case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya. Human Rights Watch stresses that the proceedings concern the responsibility of the Burmese state and recalls that the abuses that drove more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh began in 2017.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will deliver its judgment on 19 November 2026 in the case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention, according to Human Rights Watch. The ruling is to determine the responsibility of the state of Myanmar, rather than to try individuals criminally.
The Gambia brought the case before the ICJ in November 2019, arguing that atrocities against the Rohingya violated the convention and constituted genocide. In August 2017, an operation by Myanmar’s security forces in the north of Rakhine State forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, according to Human Rights Watch.
The judgment will be final and cannot be appealed. Maria Elena Vignoli, the organisation’s senior international justice counsel, said the decision would be an important step for the Rohingya and called on countries that respect human rights to support justice and their safe, voluntary return.
