UPDATE - UN’s top court orders Russia to end war in Ukraine

UPDATES WITH QUOTES FROM COURT RULING

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The International Court of Justice on Wednesday ordered Russia to halt the war in Ukraine.

The ruling of the top UN court in The Hague was carried by 13 votes to two.

“… the Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine,” said the ruling read out by an official.

A second part of the ruling was also carried by 13 of the judges and opposed by two.

It said: “The Russian Federation shall ensure that any military or irregular armed units which may be directed or supported by it, as well as any organizations and persons which may be subject to its control or direction, take no steps in furtherance of the military operations.”

In another part of the ruling, the court decided unanimously that “both parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”

It added: “Ukraine has a plausible right not to be subjected to military operation by Russian Federation for the purpose of preventing and punishing an alleged genocide in the territory of Ukraine.”

Russia boycotted hearings at the top UN court over Ukraine seeking an emergency order to halt hostilities in the country, with Kyiv arguing that Moscow falsely applied genocide laws to justify starting a war.

The decisions of the court are legally binding.

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the UN and was established by the UN Charter in June 1945. It began its activities in April 1946.

The court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

- Court ‘regrets’ Russia’s non-appearance

“The court said it “regrets” the decision by Russia not to “participate in the oral proceedings,” noting that “the non-appearance of a party has a negative impact on the sound administration of justice.”

In its application, Ukraine contended that Russia “has falsely claimed that acts of genocide have occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine.”

It said: “On that basis recognized the so-called ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ and ‘Luhansk People’s Republic,’ and then declared and implemented a ‘special military operation’ against Ukraine.”

Ukraine “emphatically denies” that such genocide occurred and said that it submitted the application “to establish that Russia has no lawful basis to take action in and against Ukraine for the purpose of preventing and punishing any purported genocide.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the current war a “special military operation” to protect people “subjected to genocide” by Ukraine and to “demilitarize and denazify” the country.

Separatists backed by Russia have, since 2014, fought Ukraine’s forces in two eastern breakaway regions in the east of the country, which Russia has now recognized as states.

The Ukraine government says around 15,000 people had been killed in that conflict, which coincided with Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.