Nations urged to support Gambia to ensure justice for Rohingyas

The governments of all the countries and international community have been urged to extend all possible support to The Gambia to ensure justice for the victims of genocide committed against the Rohingyas in the Rakhine State by Myanmar authorities, reports UNB.

The call was made at a reception hosted in honour of Gambia justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou and Canada prime minister’s special envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae, said the Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague on Wednesday.

Gambia’s justice minister and attorney general Abubacarr Marie Tambadou, Bangladesh foreign secretray Md. Shahidul Haque, Canada prime minister’s special envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae, OIC director Hassan Ahmed Abedin, UAE ambassador to the Netherlands Hissa Abdulla A. Alotaiba, Charge d’Affaires of Saudi Arabia in The Hague Nasser A. Alghanoom and Charge d’Affaires of Malaysia in The Hague Mohd. Norhisyam Mohd. Yusof spoke at the reception.

The Reception was jointly organised by the embassies of Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia in The Hague.

President of the International Criminal Court, Director-General of the OPCW, Gambia’s legal team, Dutch politicians and senior government officials, ambassadors, members of diplomatic corps, representatives from The Hague-based international organisations, representative from the OIC Secretariat, members of international media and international civil society organisations, Rohingya representatives, among others, joined the reception.

Foreign secretary Haque explained the historical background of how Bangladesh has been bearing the brunt for more than a decade of the systematic persecution of the Rohingyas in the Rakhine State by the Myanmar authorities.

Narrating the horrors unleashed on the Rohingya people on 25 August 2017 in the Rakhine State by Myanmar authorities, he highlighted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s humanitarian drive to open the borders for the persecuted Rohingyas despite Bangladesh’s multi-dimensional constraints.

He also touched upon prime minister’s bringing the perpetrators’ accountability issue before the international community in the UN General Assembly first in 2018.

Thanking the international community for their support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, the foreign secretary urged them to raise their voice to ensure justice for the persecuted Rohingyas.

He also lauded The Gambia for its instituting the case against Myanmar at the ICJ under the 1948 Genocide Convention and thanked the OIC to back The Gambia in this endeavour.

Gambian justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou highly praised prime minister Sheikh Hasina for hosting the persecuted Rohingyas and extending all the support to them.

He expressed his appreciation to the OIC for its support and endorsement to The Gambia to file the case against Myanmar before the ICJ to ensure accountability for the genocide committed against the Rohingya by Myanmar.

He termed that Gambia’s fight against Myanmar is not the fight between two states rather the fight of international community for humanity.

He urged international community to extend their political, diplomatic and moral support to ensure justice for the Rohingya genocide victims.

The Canada prime minister’s special envoy also highly lauded prime minister Sheikh Hasina for her hosting around a million persecuted Rohingyas and extending support to them.

Referring to the joint statement issued by the governments of Canada and the Netherlands on 9 December 2019 to support the Gambia in all possible means for the case against Myanmar, he urged all governments to extend their support to the Gambia as well.

The UAE Ambassador, Charge d’Affaires of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and OIC representative in their speeches also praised Bangladesh for hosting the persecuted Rohingya people and assured their support to the Gambia for the case against Myanmar at the ICJ.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal received the guests at the reception on behalf of the host countries of Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Malaysia.

The Gambia's submissions before the ICJ have been lauded by the international community.