International Court of Justice to consider Russia's objections

The International Court of Justice will consider the second case in Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia "On charges of genocide in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide".

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Reuters.

According to the lawsuit, Ukraine is trying to prove that Russia has violated the 1948 Convention, as Moscow justifies its invasion by allegedly preventing Kyiv from "genocide" of Russians.

Russia demands that the case be dismissed and objects to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. The hearings, which will last until September 27, will not consider the merits of the case, but will focus on legal arguments over jurisdiction.

Ukraine has already overcome one obstacle: last March, the court issued a preliminary ruling in its favor. Based on this ruling, the court ordered Russia to immediately cease military operations on the territory of Ukraine.

During the hearings, the court will also hear from representatives of 32 other states, who will support Ukraine's arguments that the court has jurisdiction to move the case forward.

The UN Genocide Convention of 1948 defines genocide as crimes committed "with intent to destroy in whole or in part any national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such".

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 17/09/2023