INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2025/57
19 December 2025
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(The Gambia v. Myanmar: 11 States intervening)
Public hearings on the merits of the case to be held from
Monday 12 to Thursday 29 January 2026
THE HAGUE, 19 December 2025. The International Court of Justice will hold public hearings
in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar: 11 States intervening) from Monday 12 to Thursday
29 January 2026.
It is recalled that on 11 November 2019, The Gambia filed in the Registry of the Court an
Application instituting proceedings against Myanmar concerning alleged violations of the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide
Convention”). In its Application, The Gambia requests, among other things, that the Court adjudge
and declare that Myanmar has breached its obligations under the Convention, that it must cease
forthwith any internationally wrongful act, that it must perform the obligations of reparation in the
interest of the victims of genocidal acts who are members of the Rohingya group, and that it must
offer assurances and guarantees of non-repetition. As a basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, the
Applicant invokes Article IX of the Genocide Convention. The Application was accompanied by a
request for the indication of provisional measures.
On 23 January 2020, the Court made an Order indicating a number of provisional measures
addressed to Myanmar.
Following the filing by The Gambia of its Memorial, Myanmar raised preliminary objections to
the jurisdiction of the Court and to the admissibility of the Application. By its Judgment of 22 July 2022,
the Court found that it has jurisdiction, on the basis of Article IX of the Genocide Convention, to
entertain The Gambia’s Application.
Subsequently, Myanmar filed its Counter-Memorial. The Gambia and Myanmar then filed a
Reply and a Rejoinder, respectively.
Declarations of intervention under Article 63 of the Statute of the Court were filed by Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (jointly), the Maldives,
Slovenia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium and Ireland. The Court found these
Declarations admissible (see Order dated 3 July 2024 and Order dated 25 July 2025).