Yangon, Jan 30 (V7N) — Sitagu Sayadaw, a prominent Buddhist monk supportive of Myanmar’s junta government, has dismissed allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that he justified the genocide against the Rohingya by comparing non-Buddhists to animals.

The monk, head of the Shwe Kyin Buddhist sect, delivered a sermon at a military training camp during the 2017 Rohingya crackdown, which was widely circulated on social media by the military. In the sermon, he reportedly said, “Killing the Rohingya is not a sin, because they are not Buddhists… they are like animals.”

Sitagu Sayadaw said on Wednesday (January 28) that the ICJ case “did not incriminate him personally” and that the evidence “created a little bit of a stir, but there is no problem with it.”

The allegations have fueled international criticism of religious leaders who supported military actions against minority communities in Myanmar.

END/SMA/AJ