The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN, has delivered its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures presented by Ukraine in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation)
The UN International Court of Justice in The Hague has ordered Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, with the stated goal of “preventing and punishing” the alleged genocide in Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.
This was announced by the chief judge of the UN International Court of Justice, Joan Donoghue, on Wednesday, European Pravda reports.
The Russian Federation must, pending a final decision in the case, suspend hostilities that began in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to the judge.
Russia must also suspend any military aid to the so-called “LPR/DPR.”
The Court considers that the Russian Federation shall ensure that any military or regular units that may be controlled or maintained by it, as well as any organizations or individuals that may be indirectly controlled by it, do not take further action in these operations.
Announcing the order, the judge noted that the court has jurisdiction to investigate whether genocide is taking place in Ukraine – following a lawsuit filed by Ukraine vs Russia.
The judge explained that the court had no evidence that Ukraine was committing genocide on its territory, as claimed by Russia.
The judge noted that the court had doubts as to whether the Genocide Prevention Convention allowed unilateral hostilities in another state to prevent genocide.
The decision was made by 13 votes to 2, with Russia and China voting against.
In this case, Russia refused to defend itself in court in The Hague. At the same time, Russia’s refusal to defend itself does not stop the hearing.
