World Court To Rule On Ukraine's Case vs Russian Invasion Tomorrow

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) late on Monday, Mar. 14, 2022, said it would rule in the case that Ukraine has brought against Russia on Wednesday, Mar. 16, Bart Meijer reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Ukraine sought an emergency order from the UN’s highest court to halt hostilities on its territory.

In a hearing which was boycotted by Russia on March 7, Stephanie van den Berg of Reuters reported that Ukraine sought an emergency order from the UN’s highest court to halt hostilities on its territory, arguing that Russia - which boycotted the hearing - had falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion.

A leading association of genocide scholars has backed Ukraine and Western powers' view that Russia was misappropriating the term genocide to describe the treatment of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

"There is absolutely no evidence that there is genocide going on in Ukraine," Melanie O'Brien, president of International Association of Genocide Scholars, told Reuters.

The hearing was held at the ICJ without legal representation for Russia. "The fact that Russia's seats are empty speaks loudly. They are not here in this court of law: they are on a battlefield waging an aggressive war against my country," Ukrainian envoy Anton Korynevych said.

The court said it regretted Russia's non-attendance. After Ukraine presented its arguments Monday, the court said it would start deliberations and rule "as soon as possible."

Countries usually, but not always, follow the court's orders, which are legally binding. A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands did not reply to a request for comment.

After the hearing, Korynevych stressed that Russia's absence would not impact the proceedings and Moscow would have to heed any court orders. "They need to listen and they must listen to the court, under international law," he told reporters.

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