Myanmar\`s genocide against Rohingya not over_ says rights group

Myanmar is continuing to commit genocide against Rohingya Muslims in breach of orders by the UN s top court_ according to human rights lawyers and activists. The international court of justice (ICJ) in January rejected arguments made personally by Myanmar s civilian leader_ Aung San Suu Kyi_ in The Hague and imposed urgent interim measures on the predominantly Buddhist nation. The ICJ ordered Myanmar to cease the commission of genocidal acts_ prevent the destruction of evidence of crimes against the Rohingya and report back to the UN every six months.  The genocide is still ongoing_ Tun Khin_ president of Burma Rohingya Organisation UK_ said in a statement on Monday_ the deadline for the second report. The group is one of the most prominent Rohingya rights organisations.  The Myanmar government and military are calculating that they can safely ignore the provisional measures and not face any consequences_ he said. A brutal military crackdown in 2017 is thought to have killed thousands and forced about 750_000 Rohingya to flee to refugee camps in Bangladesh. About 600_000 more Rohingya remain in Myanmar_ however_ stripped of citizenship in what rights activists describe as apartheid conditions. Myanmar denies committing genocide_ justifying the 2017 operations as a means of rooting out Rohingya insurgents. M Arsalan Suleman_ the legal counsel working on the case against Myanmar_ confirmed on Monday that the country had submitted the report in time. But activists are urging the ICJ to force the south-east Asian nation to make it public to allow full scrutiny.  For Rohingya_ this lack of transparency is yet another injustice_ said Tun Khin. Rights groups have condemned the almost absolute exclusion of Rohingya from voting in November s election and their continued vilification as illegal interlopers.  Myanmar has done nothing to address the root causes of discrimination and impunity that give rise to the ongoing risk of genocide against the Rohingya_ said Grant Shubin_ legal director of the New York-based Global Justice Center. The Rohingya crisis has left the international reputation of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi in tatters. The UN general assembly last week voted overwhelmingly for a draft resolution expressing  grave concern over serious rights violations against the Rohingya_ a decision Myanmar attacked as  intrusive and  illegitimate . The country has conceded that some soldiers might have used  disproportionate force in the 2017 crackdown_ but insists they will be investigated and prosecuted by Myanmar s criminal justice system. In legal proceedings separate from the ICJ case_ the international criminal court last year opened an investigation into the persecution of the Rohingya. A case has also been filed in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction_ which allows war crimes and crimes against humanity to be tried anywhere. -The Guardian