Russian Federation justifies war by telling 'terrible lies' - Ukraine's representative in The Hague
Ukraine's representative in The Hague, Anton Korynevych (Photo: facebook.com/anton.korynevych)
Ukraine's representative, Anton Korynevych, told judges during a session at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that Russia is justifying its war against Ukraine using "terrible lies," claiming that the aggressor country's invasion was supposedly meant to stop genocide, according to Reuters.
"The international community adopted the Genocide Convention to protect; Russia invokes the Genocide Convention to destroy," Korinevych said.
He urged the International Court of Justice to rule that it has jurisdiction to hear the case thoroughly and ultimately decide that Russia must pay reparations for its invasion under pretenses.
"Can a state use false allegations of genocide as a pretext to destroy cities, bomb civilians, and deport children from their homes? When the Genocide Convention is so cynically abused, is this court powerless? The answer to these questions must be 'no'," Ukraine's representative stated.
Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia
Recall that on September 18, the International Court of Justice in The Hague resumed hearings in Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia regarding the Genocide Convention.
Ukraine seeks to prove that Russia violated the 1948 Convention because the Kremlin justifies its invasion by claiming it is preventing "genocide" against Russians by Ukraine.
It's worth noting that the Genocide Convention defines genocide as acts "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such."
In June, most judges at the International Court of Justice supported the decision to allow 32 countries to join Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia for violations of the Genocide Convention and the punishment for such violations.
