Russia Refuses to Appear at International Court of Justice Hearing on Ukraine Case

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th (local time), Russia refused to attend the hearing at the United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), following Ukraine's lawsuit, according to major foreign media including AP.

Russia did not appear at the hearing related to the 'Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide' (Genocide Convention), held that day in The Hague, Netherlands.

The ICJ judge expressed regret over Russia's absence, stating that the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands informed the judges that the Russian government would not participate in the oral proceedings.

This hearing was held after Ukraine filed a lawsuit against Russia at the ICJ on the 27th of last month, accusing Russia of illegally justifying the war with false allegations that 'genocide' was being committed in the Donbas region of Ukraine, and requested provisional measures ordering Russia to immediately cease military operations.

The ICJ listened to Ukraine's claims that day, and a schedule to hear Russia's arguments is set for the 8th. Due to COVID-19, the hearing was conducted both on-site and via video conference, proceeding without Russia's participation.

Ukraine denies the claim that genocide acts have been committed and argues that it appears to be Russia that is planning genocide acts in the attack that began on the 24th of last month.

Genocide refers to the extermination of ethnic or minority groups. The ICJ was established after World War II to handle disputes between UN member states, primarily making judgments based on treaties and conventions. While ICJ rulings are legally binding, there are no direct or practical means to enforce the rulings. Experts view Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia as potentially symbolic, but believe it is unlikely that Russia will comply with the judgment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.