Survivors of atrocities in Myanmar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan gathered in The Hague at the end of January to reflect on a shared question: what does justice mean after mass atrocity?
Their dialogue at the House of Europe took place while judges in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) were concluding three weeks of public hearings concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar).
Survivors and advocates met to exchange lived experiences and the search for accountability. The event was hosted by the EEAS Liaison Officer to the International Organizations in The Hague, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), and REDRESS.
A shared burden across continents
From the 2017 “clearance operations” in Rakhine State, Myanmar, to the 2014 attacks by ISIL against the Yazidi community, survivors spoke of being “marked for destruction” not for their actions, but for their very existence.
One of the most powerful reflections came from the Sudanese delegation, which relayed the testimony of a woman who had survived rape during three separate conflicts in Sudan: the 2004 war in Darfur, the 2021 military coup, and the civil war which started in 2023. Her powerful testimony evolved around one question: “How many times must we survive the same war?”
Lessons from the past
Dr. Emir Suljagić, Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, provided a bridge between the Bosnian genocide of the 1990s and current quests for accountability.
He noted how technology has revolutionised the search for truth; whereas survivors in the 1990s often had to literally dig-up the remains to prove their accounts, modern advocates can collect digital evidence in real-time. Dr. Suljagić emphasised the imperative of collecting material evidence and to “put down what we were, before we no longer were.”
The UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) dealt with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s. During its mandate, which lasted from 1993 – 2017, it irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law, provided victims an opportunity to voice the horrors they witnessed and experienced, and proved that those suspected of bearing the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during armed conflicts can be called to account.
The power of law and universal values
The reflections of survivors and advocates at the recent event come at a time when United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warns that “the law of power is prevailing over the power of law. International law is trampled. And multilateral institutions are under assault on many fronts.”
During his press conference where he outlined his priorities for 2026, the UN chief referred to the Charter of the United Nations’ values, which include the conditions for lasting peace and enduring justice.
“Despite all the hurdles, the United Nations is acting to give life to our shared values. And we won’t give up,” Mr. Guterres said.
The ICJ is currently conducting its deliberations on the state responsibility of Myanmar.