ICJ to deliver judgment in Myanmar genocide case on 19 November

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will deliver its judgment on November 19, 2026, in a case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar over alleged genocide against the Rohingya, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.

The rights organisation announced the development while releasing a question-and-answer document outlining key issues surrounding the case and the expected judgment.

In August 2017, Myanmar's security forces launched a sweeping campaign of massacres, rape and arson against the ethnic Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, forcing more than 700,000 people to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

In November 2019, The Gambia filed a case against Myanmar at the ICJ, alleging that atrocities committed against the Rohingya amounted to genocide and violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The case seeks a legal determination of Myanmar's responsibility as a state for genocide. It is not a criminal trial against individuals.

“The International Court of Justice’s Myanmar judgment will mark a crucial moment in the Rohingya’s quest for justice,” said Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch.

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She said the ruling would also highlight the continuing oppression of the Rohingya and remind countries committed to human rights of their responsibility to take decisive action in support of the community.

Vignoli called for efforts to promote justice for atrocities against the Rohingya and ensure their safe and voluntary return to Myanmar.

The judgment will be final, with no possibility of appeal, bringing the proceedings in the case before the court to a close.