Ukraine v. Russia: Public hearings in ICJ start today
As an Ukrinform correspondent reports from The Hague, the first round of oral argument will be held today. The Russian Federation will speak first.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian side will present its position. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Olena Zerkal, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Integration and Ukraine’s agent in Ukraine v. Russia case.
The public hearings will be held from June 3 to June 7.
As reported, on January 16, 2017, Ukraine filed a lawsuit against Russia with the International Court of Justice. The ICJ considers the lawsuit over the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
The charges brought against Russia include: the provision of weapons and other forms of assistance to illegal armed groups; shooting down the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17); shelling residential areas of Mariupol and Kramatorsk in Donetsk region; destruction of a civilian passenger bus near Volnovakha in Donetsk region; explosion during a peaceful assembly in Kharkov which caused human fatalities; discrimination against the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar communities; the prohibition of activity of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, waves of disappearances, murders, unauthorized searches, detentions; restrictions on teaching in the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages.
The first hearing was held on March 6, 2017. On April 19, 2017, the order on provisional measures was delivered. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Russia should resume the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, ensure accessibility of education in Crimea in the Ukrainian language.
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