Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Hard News Hard Hitting News Source Global Political News

International News

Russia snubs UN court hearings in case brought by Ukraine

Candles are set in the grass with the text ‘Putin Come Out’ in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, March 7, 2022. A representative for Kyiv has urged the United Nations’ top court to order Russia to halt its devastating invasion of Ukraine, at a hearing snubbed by Russia. (AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukraine pleaded with the United Nations’ top court Monday to order Russia to halt its devastating invasion, saying Moscow is already committing widespread war crimes and “resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare” in its 12-day-old military onslaught.

Russia snubbed the International Court of Justice hearings and its seats in the Great Hall of Justice remained empty.

On a lawn outside the court’s headquarters, the Peace Palace in The Hague, a protester placed colored candles spelling out the words: “Putin Come out.”

Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told judges at the International Court of Justice: “Russia must be stopped and the court has a role to play in stopping it.”

Ukraine has asked the court to order Russia to “immediately suspend the military operations” launched Feb. 24 “that have as their stated purpose and objective the prevention and punishment of a claimed genocide” in the separatist eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Lawyers for Kyiv dismissed the Russian claim.

“Ukraine comes to this court because of a grotesque lie and to seek protection from the devastating consequences of that lie,” David Zionts told the court. “The lie is the Russian Federation’s claim of genocide in Ukraine. The consequences are unprovoked aggression, cities under siege, civilians under fire, humanitarian catastrophe and refugees fleeing for their lives.”

A decision on Ukraine’s request is expected within days.

If the court were to order a halt to fighting as Ukraine requested, “I think the chance of that happening is zero,” said Terry Gill, a professor of military law at the University of Amsterdam. He noted that if a nation does not abide by the court’s order, judges could seek action from the United Nations Security Council, where Russia holds a veto.

The court’s president, American judge Joan E. Donoghue, said Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Shulgin, informed judges that “his government did not intend to participate in the oral proceedings.”

Because of Russia’s refusal to participate in the hearings, Moscow’s turn to present legal arguments on Tuesday was canceled.

Korynevych condemned Moscow’s snub.

“The fact that Russian seats are empty speaks loudly,” he said. “They are not here in this court of law. They are on a battlefield waging aggressive war against my country.”

The request for so-called provisional measures is linked to a case Ukraine has filed based on the Genocide Convention. Both countries have ratified the 1948 treaty, which has a clause allowing nations to take disputes based on its provisions to the Hague-based court.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Ukraine emphatically denies that any such genocide has occurred, and that the Russian Federation has any lawful basis to take action in and against Ukraine for the purpose of preventing and punishing genocide,” the country said in its claim to the court.

Even before the hearing, Donoghue sent a message to Russia’s foreign minister on March 1 pressing home the necessity to act “ in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on the request for provisional measures to have its appropriate effects.”

Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine’s legal team, highlighted the urgency of Ukraine’s case, saying Moscow’s “military aggression could have resulted in a new nuclear catastrophe affecting not only Ukraine or Russia, but potentially a vast surrounding area.”

He added that Russia, “today is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance.”

The success of Ukraine’s request will depend on whether the court accepts it has “prima facie jurisdiction” in the case, which is not a guarantee that the court ultimately would proceed with the suit. Cases at the International Court of Justice typically take years to complete.

Regardless of the outcome of the hearings, they give Ukraine another platform to air grievances about Moscow’s invasion.

“It’s part of, I think, an overall diplomatic strategy to try to put maximum pressure on Russia,” said Gill.

Ukrainian representative Oksana Zolotaryova emotionally underscored the high stakes as the hearing closed.

“As I am speaking, the Russian Federation continues its relentless assaults on our cities, on our towns, on our villages, on our people,” she told judges.

She added: “We don’t know yet the true number of Ukrainians that Russia has murdered in the past eleven days. We can only guess how many more will be murdered in the next eleven days if this senseless aggression does not stop.”


Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-netherlands-moscow-europe-0ca475d35171d384e028f09f1f7379e4

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Business News

The Brenner Base Tunnel will form the main part of a 64 km mega-tunnel under the Alps between Austria and Italy, making it the...

Business News

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — The small band of soldiers gather outside to share cigarettes and war stories, sometimes casually and sometimes with a degree...

Business News

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a landmark deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea amid the war won’t be restored until...

Business News

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted a letter of resignation on Monday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be...

Copyright © 2023 Hard News Herd Hitting in Your Face News Source | World News | Breaking News | US News | Political News Website by Top Search SEO