Amal Clooney to represent Maldives in UN court for Rohingyas

The prominent human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney has been hired by the Maldives to represent it at the highest court of the United Nations to seek justice for Rohingya Muslims. The Maldivian government said on February 25 that it will formally join the mainly Muslim African state of The Gambia in challenging Myanmar's military crackdown in 2017 which led to at least 7,40,000 Rohingyas to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. 

Last month, in a unanimous ruling, the International Court of Justice had ordered Myanmar to implement emergency measures to prevent the genocide of the minority Muslim community. Clooney has successfully represented former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and secured a UN ruling stating that his jailing for 13 years in 2015, was illegal. According to the international news agency, Clooney was quoted by the Maldives government that the accountability for genocide in Myanmar is “long overdue” and she looks forward to working on an important effort and seek the judicial remedies for Rohingya survivors. 

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ICJ verdict on Rohingyas

Earlier, the UNSC had discussed the verdict by the International Court of Justice on Myanmar but did not take any action on it, according to reports. ICJ had previously ordered Myanmar to prevent genocide from being committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority. UN's top court insisted the country take emergency “provisional measures” and urged to halt all persecution of the ethnic group including killing, raping, and destroying homes and villages. Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, the court's president said that the ICJ “is of the opinion that the Rohingya in Myanmar remain extremely vulnerable.”

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It was a unanimous decision when the court also ruled that it has the authority to consider a genocide case against Myanmar by creating “international legal obligations” on the country. ICJ has ordered Myanmar to “take effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related” to its acts against the Muslim minority.

Nearly 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee into camps in Bangladesh after the military of Myanmar launched a violent crackdown on the group in 2017. This, according to the UN officials was 'genocide'. This case in the International Court of Justice was the first legal attempt by the peace-making body to bring the country into justice over the crisis. It was also a rare example of a country suing another over an issue to which it is not directly a party. The tiny west African state of The Gambia, which is acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Corporation asked the court to halt the 'ongoing genocidal actions'.

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(With inputs from agencies)