The provisional measures are the initial step of what will be a multi-year process as the court hears The Gambia’s case against Myanmar for the crime of genocide against the Rohingya, CPJ said in a statement on Thursday.

The failures of Myanmar’s domestic accountability mechanisms lay bare the need for international justice and accountability. Today, the court asserted its power to try the case and grant provisional measures for immediate action by Myanmar.
 
"CPJ feels that the provisional measures are an important and necessary step towards protecting Rohingya community in Rakhine State, whose loved ones Bangladesh is hosting in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar. By following the measures, Myanmar can begin stabilising the situation for not only the Rohingya but also for all the affected communities as the wheels of justice begin to slowly turn," reads the statement.  
 
Besides, it said, by requiring Myanmar to preserve evidence, the provisional measures will help justice mechanisms to proceed unhindered.

"CPJ calls on Myanmar to respect the ICJ’s ruling and ensure that the provisional measures are fully and quickly implemented."

This week, Myanmar’s Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) announced its finding that war crimes were committed against the Rohingya and that excessive force was used. However, the ICOE declared that there was no genocidal intent.

Rohingya survivors of Myanmar’s brutal treatment would beg to differ, and the ICJ concurred that there is a possibility that genocide was indeed committed.

For the past two years, CPJ researchers and volunteers have spoken with numerous survivors who described in details the brutal persecution, denial of identity and massacres waged against them in Myanmar.