The International Court of Justice in The Hague in the Netherlands has begun hearings on Ukraine’s lawsuit against Russia, a claim filed by Kyiv immediately after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the BBC reported on Sept. 18.
In the lawsuit, Ukraine demands that Russia be held accountable for distorting the concept of genocide to justify its attack on Ukraine.
Public hearings will be held on the preliminary objections raised by the Russian Federation from Sept. 18 to Sept. 27. They will be held in two stages: Russia will have its say on Sept. 18 and 25, and Ukraine will state its position on Sept. 19 and 27.
Read also:
In addition to Ukraine and Russia, 32 other UN member states are participating in the process, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Sweden, Bulgaria, Canada, and Australia. Their representatives will also speak at the hearings.
Ukraine alleges that Russia falsely claimed it had acted to “prevent genocide” in eastern Ukraine. Rejecting the claim, Ukraine said that the 1948 UN Genocide Convention does not permit military intervention for the prevention of genocide.
For its part, Russia claims that the International Court of Justice “has no jurisdiction” in this case because the convention does not regulate the use of force between states.
Read also: Russia changes names and birthdates of kidnapped children to hide the genocide, Vereshchuk
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s ombudsperson, Maria Lvova-Belova, for their involvement in the unlawful removal of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation since Feb. 24, 2022.
The forced transfer of children from one group to another is one of the Genocide Convention’s five definitions of an act of genocide.
Putin can be arrested on the territory of 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute, the founding document of the International Court of Justice, in order for him to face the charges in The Hague.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
