Today, the UN International Court of Justice will continue the hearing of Ukraineʼs lawsuit against Russia in the case of genocide. The sides must provide arguments on whether the court has the right to consider Ukraineʼs claim.
"Babel" correspondent Oksana Kovalenko reported this from the scene.
The Russians insist that the court has no such jurisdiction. During the day, it is the Russian delegation that will speak. They should deepen their arguments, as well as provide answers to the arguments of the Ukrainian side and the statements of 32 countries that have joined the Ukrainian lawsuit. The last hearing will take place on Wednesday. Then the Ukrainian delegation will provide final counterarguments to the Russiansʼ statements.
The dispute concerns the interpretation, application and enforcement of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Ukraine asks the court to hold Russia accountable for distorting the term "genocide".
Ukraine filed this lawsuit on February 26, 2022, two days after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin accused Kyiv of "genocide" of Donbas residents and used it as a basis for the invasion on February 24, 2022.