Unilever.edu.vn notes that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently announced its decision to partially hear Ukraine’s genocide case against Russia. This legal battle stems from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow justified by alleging genocide in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
Ukraine filed the case with the ICJ, also known as the World Court, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The court’s ruling on Friday determined it has the jurisdiction to examine a specific aspect of the case: whether Ukraine committed genocide in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, now under Russian occupation.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague
However, the judges dismissed Ukraine’s request for a ruling on whether Russia’s invasion violated the 1948 Genocide Convention. This decision signifies the court’s stance that these aspects of the case fall outside its jurisdiction.
Last September, Russia’s legal team had urged the ICJ to dismiss the entire case, claiming flaws in Ukraine’s legal arguments and a lack of jurisdiction on the matter. Friday’s ruling partially upheld some of these objections.
While the court’s rulings carry legal weight and are considered final, enforcing them remains a challenge. Notably, countries like Russia have previously disregarded ICJ rulings.
The case is expected to take several months before a final decision is reached. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Ukraine has secured a legal victory against Russia. Earlier in the week, the ICJ ruled that Russia violated UN treaties prohibiting terrorism financing and discrimination. This separate case revolved around incidents dating back to 2014.
