ICJ permits 7 states to intervene in Gambia's genocide lawsuit against Myanmar

Court allows states to offer perspectives on Genocide Convention provisions in Gambia's case against Myanmar.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Wednesday that declarations of intervention filed by seven states in a genocide case brought by Gambia against Myanmar are admissible.

The ICJ's order unanimously accepted the interventions, allowing the states to contribute to the proceedings with their perspectives on the interpretation of the Genocide Convention's provisions.

The Court declared the Maldives' intervention under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute admissible, permitting the nation to address the construction of the Genocide Convention's provisions.

The ICJ also admitted a joint declaration of intervention under Article 63 submitted by Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

With this order, the seven states are authorized, in accordance with Article 86 of the Rules of Court, to submit their written observations on the matters pertaining to their interventions.

The ICJ will decide at a later stage whether these states will be allowed to present their observations during the oral proceedings.

The case, initiated by Gambia in November 2019, accuses Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya population.

The admission of these interventions highlights the international community's heightened interest and involvement in the legal interpretations of the Genocide Convention as the Court proceeds with this landmark case.