Hearing will be held this Friday in The Hague, Netherlands; request was made by Kiev days after the Russian invasion
A ICJ (International Court of Justice) of the UN (United Nations) will analyze this Friday (2.Feb.2024) in The Hague, in the Netherlands, the competence to judge the war in Ukraine. The request was made by Kiev a few days after the start of the Russian invasion of the country, on February 24, 2022.
The Ukrainian government accused Russia of violating the 1948 United Nations Convention by saying that Moscow was committing “genocide” in the east of the country. Russia denies the accusations. The broadcast can be watched herein English.
The International Court of Justice is the main judicial body of the United Nations. Created in 1945, the court is made up of 15 judges elected for 9-year terms. The main functions are to resolve disputes between States and issue advisory opinions on legal issues referred by bodies and agencies registered with the UN.
Although, is not the same as the ICC (International Criminal Court), also located in the same city and commonly called The Hague Court. The ICC is responsible for trying individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In March 2022, the Court ordered Russia to suspend the invasion of Ukrainian territory. On the other hand, Vladimir Putin's government said that the court did not have jurisdiction to judge the case.
COURT JUDGED ACTION AGAINST ISRAEL
The International Court also judged an action regarding the war in Gaza. By the end of 2024, South Africa presented a complaint against the State of Israel for alleged violation of the United Nations Convention and practices of “genocide” against Palestinians.
In the decision issued last Friday (26 January), the Court of The Hague decided that Israel should take a series of measures to prevent the violation of human rights in the Gaza Strip, but did not order a ceasefire in the conflict. Here is the full text (PDF – 299 kB, in English). Read more in this report.
ICC ORDERED PUTIN’S ARREST
On March 17 of this year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, against Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Russian Presidential Office. They are accused of war crimes, such as illegally deporting children from Ukraine to Russia.
However, the ICC cannot arrest the Russian president because it has no jurisdiction in the country. Moscow is a signatory to the Rome Statute, responsible for creating the Court. Under Hague rules, Putin could only be arrested if they were within the territory of a country that has ratified the ICC statute.
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