The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] found [press relese] Thursday that it has jurisdiction to investigate officials of the Myanmar government for violence towards the Rohingya minority.

The violence against the Rohingya minority has drawn human rights groups to call for the arrest [JURIST report] of government officials.

The Chamber found that it has the power to entertain the Prosecutor’s request under article 119(1) of the ICC Rome Statute (the “Statute”), as well as pursuant to the principle of la compétence de la compétence or Kompetenz‑Kompetenz<–a well-established principle of international law according to which any international tribunal has the power to determine the extent of its own jurisdiction.

There was a dissenting opinion by Judge Perrin de Brichambaut, which argued that the statute does not grant jurisdiction for the investigation. In the opinion, he argues that the ICC cannot give what amounts to an advisory opinion on matters.