The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to halt military operations in Ukraine, issuing a preliminary but likely unenforceable order in Kyiv’s lawsuit alleging that Russia justified its invasion under the false pretext of stopping a purported genocide in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The world court, which is based in the Hague and is an organ of the United Nations, lacks autonomous enforcement powers, and Russia has already argued that the 15-member tribunal has jurisdiction over the dispute. Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, praised the International Court of Justice’s decision. Zelensky stated on Twitter that Russia must instantly comply. Ignoring the order will only further isolate Russia. However, the 13-2 judgement adds a legal dimension to the diplomatic censure and economic penalties that the Kremlin’s invasion has prompted around the world. The International Court of Justice has a 13-2 vote on preliminary measures, with Russian and Chinese judges opposing them. Former Russian ambassador Kirill Gevorgian and former Chinese diplomat and law scholar Xue Hanqin dissented. Judges from Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Slovakia, Somalia, and Uganda, as well as a temporary judge nominated by Ukraine, joined Judge Donoghue in the majority.
Source: Viewers Corner News.