Estonia submitted a declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in relation to the dispute between Ukraine and Russia on compliance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“Estonia, along with other parties to the Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, would like to intervene in the dispute between Ukraine and Russia because Russia’s aggression on the pretext of preventing and punishing genocide has seriously undermined the meaning of such a horrible crime as genocide,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said, adding that the court must give an assessment on Russia’s actions and false accusations.
Ukraine turned to the ICJ on 26 February, as Russia justified its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February with the need to prevent and punish Ukraine for the genocide allegedly committed in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. Reinsalu said it was a false pretext for recognising the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts as separate countries. “Russia had no right to invade Ukraine, as there is no substance to Russia’s accusations that Ukraine has committed genocide,” the minister added.
Ukraine turned to the ICJ to ask the court to state that there was no evidence of Ukraine committing genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on the pretext of preventing genocide is illegal. On 7 March, the court held a hearing but Russia did not attend the oral proceedings. On 16 March, the ICJ issued a provisional measure, stating that Russia must immediately stop the military aggression it launched on 24 February. Russia has not complied with the decision so far.
The other countries that have filed a declaration of intervention are alongside Estonia are the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, France, New Zealand, Romania and Sweden and some more countries may join later.
