International Court of Justice resumes hearings on Russia’s genocide in Ukraine

From September 18–27, the UN International Court of Justice will hold a hearing for Ukraine's case against the Russian Federation about allegations of perpetrating genocide in line with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Deutsche Welle reports this.

In this case, Ukraine proves that the Russian Federation violated the 1948 Convention, justifying its military aggression with baseless accusations of "genocide" by Ukraine.

It will be about the court's jurisdiction and the admissibility of Ukraine's complaint at future hearings. The Russian side has raised preliminary objections and will present them on September 18.

One of the parties – traditionally, this is the defendant– can challenge the court's jurisdiction in the case or declare that the court cannot consider the case for other reasons, the press service of the UN International Court of Justice explained. In such a case, the party objects to the court's jurisdiction or the admissibility of the complaint, and the court provides for a hearing on the merits.

The other party is invited to respond to these objections. Experts say that the court will publish the written statements on the first day of the hearing, which will help them better reach their position. However, Ukraine's position is already clear, but what arguments Russia will give is still unknown.

Then, the court will hear the parties and make a decision. If it finds that it has jurisdiction and that the claim is accepted in whole or in part, the proceedings on the merits will resume. Otherwise, it will end.

This phase of the hearing will continue until September 27, but a decision on jurisdiction will be made at a later date. Considering the case's merits is extremely important because it will affect the protective measures that are wanted and purely legal but valid. If the court agrees with the Russian Federation and admits that it does not have jurisdiction, the protective measures will be canceled.

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It should be noted that Ukraine filed the lawsuit shortly after the start of the full-scale war on February 26, 2022. In October, Russia objected to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.

Also, on June 6, the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague began considering the merits of Ukraine's claim against Russia in connection with the latter's violation of two UN conventions.

As Rubryka wrote, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Also, the order was issued in the name of Maria Lvova-Belova, the authorized person under the President of Russia for the child's rights.

In addition, the International Criminal Court field office was opened in Kyiv.