15th March, 2022
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday said it will rule in the case that Ukraine has brought against Russia on March 16.
In a hearing which was boycotted by Russia on March 7, Ukraine asked the court to order Russia to cease military activities.
Ukraine argued that Russia – which boycotted the hearing – had falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion. read more
Russia boycotted the hearing with a spokesman dismissing the case as absurd.
“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.
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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