The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the Netherlands, ruled on the 16th that Russia must immediately stop its attacks in Ukraine. He also called on Russia to abide by international humanitarian law and stop targeting civilians and public facilities.
Den Haag, Nederland (Merxwire) – Russia’s dispatch of troops to Ukraine has sparked international condemnation. Ukraine sued the International Court of Justice. On the 16th of this month, the International Court of Justice announced the results of the ruling against Ukraine against Russia, with 13 votes in favor and 2 against, arguing that Russia should immediately stop its invasion of Ukraine. But Russian Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was impossible to comply.
Ukraine sued Russia for its baseless claims of sending troops and intentionally killing and seriously injuring Ukrainian citizens. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky filed a lawsuit against Russia under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The International Court of Justice voted 13-2 in favor of Ukraine, demanding that Russia stop its aggressive actions against Ukraine since February 24.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was established in June 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations. The 15-judge International Court of Justice, whose official languages ??are French and English, conducts legally binding arbitrations on cases submitted by countries or provides advisory opinions on legal issues for United Nations organs and specialized agencies. Although the ruling of the International Court of Justice is binding, it is not enforceable. If the two parties do not fulfill the judgment, they will have to resort to the UN Security Council before having more direct sanctions.
In response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the presiding judge of the International Court of Justice, Joan Donoghue, said that Russia must immediately stop attacking Ukraine because Ukraine has the right to be free from Russian military activities. Although both Russia and China voted against the genocide complaint, in the military action, all the judges unanimously approved, 「Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more challenging to resolve.」
In addition, Joan Donoghue also stressed that the International Court of Justice is seriously concerned about the humanitarian tragedy caused by Russia’s armed actions in Ukraine. “Attacks are ongoing and create increasingly difficult living conditions for the civilian population. Many persons have no access to the most basic foodstuffs, potable water, electricity, essential medicines, or heating. Many people are attempting to flee from the most affected cities under extremely insecure conditions,” she explained.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO) also responded. Raouf Mazou, the Assistant High Commissioner for Operations in the UN refugees’ office, UNHCR, said the number of people fleeing Ukraine into neighboring countries had risen from 520,000 to more than 3.1 million in less than three weeks, a very rapid increase in refugees quick. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)， has verified 43 Russian military attacks on healthcare, killing 12 and wounding 34, in serious violation of international humanitarian law. And think the devastating health consequences of the war will have ramifications for years and decades to come.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the ruling on Twitter: “Ukraine has emerged victorious from this lawsuit.” Compared with Russia’s disrespect for international courts and UN agencies, the outside world has praised Ukraine as a country that uses peaceful means to resolve disputes.