Arakan News Agency
Local sources said that authorities backed by the Myanmar army are forcibly mobilizing civilians to attend a protest scheduled for January 27 in support of the military council’s delegation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and in opposition to the case filed by Gambia.
Residents said, according to The Irrawaddy newspaper, that local officials in parts of Yangon, including Ahlone Township, ordered each household to send at least one person, warning that anyone who refuses to participate may face legal action or deprivation of household registration services. Heads of households were also asked to sign written letters of guarantee.
Similar forced mobilization has been reported in other major cities, including Mandalay, where army supporters, members of nationalist Buddhist groups, and affiliates of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) are organizing protests involving about 1,000 participants in each city.
Extremist monks are expected to lead the January 27 protest, alongside other groups supportive of the military council, as part of a coordinated display of support for the army.
Earlier this week, the military council issued a statement urging the public not to criticize the international court or its judges, warning against hate speech during the judicial proceedings. The statement was broadcast on the army-owned Myawaddy TV channel, in a move to assert the military council’s control over public activity and media messaging as the case continues.
Recently, the International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearing the historic case filed by Gambia against Myanmar, in which it accuses the country’s leadership of attempting to deliberately exterminate the Rohingya during the crackdown carried out by the Myanmar army in 2017.
Gambia first submitted the application in November 2019, accusing Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention. A fact-finding mission mandated by the UN Human Rights Council reported in 2018 that there were reasonable grounds to conclude that serious crimes had been committed under international law, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Gambia has received support in its pursuit of justice from 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in addition to 11 other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada.
