Genocide case: ICC resumes hearings on Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, public hearings of preliminary objections raised by Russia will be held on September 18-27.

The hearings will be held in two rounds: Russia will present its arguments on September 18 and 25 and Ukraine on September 19 and 27.

The dispute concerns the interpretation, application and enforcement of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In a lawsuit to the International Court of Justice, Ukraine is demanding that the Russian Federation be held accountable for distorting the concept of "genocide."

Ukraine filed the lawsuit on February 26, 2022, two days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin accused Kyiv of genocide, which Ukraine allegedly committed in Donbas, starting in 2014. Russia used this as a reason to send troops to Ukraine and carry out a full-scale invasion of the country on February 24, 2022.

The parties will present their positions, including the countries that took the initiative to join the case.

Some 32 states joined the case with their interventions. They will also take part in the court hearing. On June 5, 2023, the International Court of Justice adopted an order that the interventions of 32 states were admissible.

This is an unprecedented number of countries in history: 34 of the 193 UN members, that is, almost 20 percent, are participating in the process.

The court will hold a hearing on jurisdiction, and if the court finds that it has jurisdiction and that the claim is admissible in whole or in part, then the next step is to hear the case on its merits.