Myanmar junta’s election push clashes with genocide trial at UN court
Public skepticism grows as military promotes voting while defending against Rohingya genocide charges at The Hague
THE HAGUE (MNTV) – As Myanmar’s military junta continues promoting its planned election process, a widening disconnect has emerged between the regime’s calls for political participation and ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) examining allegations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
Social media users across Myanmar are increasingly drawing connections between the military’s election campaign and the ICJ case in The Hague, where detailed testimony about mass atrocities has been presented since January 12.
Public sentiment reflects deep distrust, with many citizens arguing that no electoral process can establish legitimacy while accountability for past crimes remains unaddressed.
“They ask us to vote while defending genocide charges abroad,” one typical social media comment reads. Others have characterized the situation more bluntly: “The real court is in The Hague, not the polling station.”
The criticism reflects a view that the junta’s election efforts appear disconnected from reality and serve primarily as a distraction from mounting international pressure.
Many users report that the ICJ proceedings have reinforced their decision not to participate in the military-organized vote, viewing abstention as a form of silent resistance.
Citizens have also highlighted the fundamental contradiction of an election process that excludes Rohingya communities from political rights while the military simultaneously defends its treatment of that population before the world’s highest court.
Graphic testimony at Hague
The ICJ hearings, which began January 12 and are scheduled to continue through January 29, have featured disturbing accounts of violence against the Rohingya.
The Gambia, representing the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has presented evidence of what it characterizes as a systematic genocide committed between 2016 and 2018 in northern Rakhine State.
Jessica Jones, representing The Gambia’s legal team, told the court that Rohingya Muslims were repeatedly referred to as “Muslim dogs” by Myanmar military members ahead of violent attacks.
She cited a 2017 Facebook video showing soldiers openly encouraging genocidal violence.
Quoting directly from the video, Jones told the judges: “He told them, and I quote, ‘We will clear the villages where those animals live. We have guns, we have bullets. That’s what we came with, ammunition and the spirit to attack the animals. If you can carry a sword, carry a sword. If you can carry a stick, then carry a stick. Carry whatever you can and bravely face these animals.'”
Such statements, Jones argued, constitute clear violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention, under which Myanmar has binding obligations.
Allegations detail systematic violence
The case presented by The Gambia alleges that Myanmar’s military committed widespread atrocities including mass executions, indiscriminate killings of more than 10,000 civilians, the deliberate burning of over 100 villages, and widespread sexual violence specifically targeting women and children.
Lawyers for The Gambia have emphasized the treatment of children as evidence of “intent” to destroy the Rohingya group, arguing that the murder of children represents the “clearest indicator of genocidal intent.”
The 2017 violence, which former UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” resulted in more than 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to neighboring countries, primarily Bangladesh.
In 2020, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to take provisional measures to prevent acts of genocide—an order that predated the current hearings examining the full scope of alleged crimes.
The military junta’s push for elections occurs against this backdrop of international legal proceedings and domestic resistance.
Experts point out that the electoral process lacks broad public consent, excludes significant portions of the population including the Rohingya, and appears designed to provide a veneer of legitimacy to continued military rule rather than represent genuine democratic participation.
As one social media user put it: “How can an election be normal when Rohingya justice is still pending?”
The juxtaposition of voting calls at home and genocide defense abroad has crystallized public skepticism about the military’s intentions and highlighted what many see as the fundamental illegitimacy of any political process organized under the current junta while questions of criminal accountability remain unresolved at the international level.
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