THE International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top court of the United Nations, has ordered Russia to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Ukraine. What does the decision mean, and what happens next?
We already knew Russia’s invasion was illegal in international law. But the ICJ decision now makes it virtually impossible for anyone, including Russia, to deny that illegality. It is also impressive because Ukraine used a creative strategy to get the ICJ to hear the case, based on the Genocide Convention of 1948.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, gave several justifications for invading Ukraine. Some had little to do with the law, such as his complaints about NATO. But two were legal arguments.
First, he claimed Russia was acting in “self-defence”. Self-defence is an established reason to use military force in international law. But Putin suggested Russia was defending the two breakaway parts of eastern Ukraine it recognises as sovereign states: Donetsk and Luhansk. Legally, these are still parts of Ukraine’s own territory, not independent states, which makes nonsense of this argument.
Second, Putin claimed Ukraine was committing genocide against ethnic Russians (where “genocide” means certain acts committed with “intent to destroy” an ethnic group or another defined group). This is just as factually and legally flimsy as the self-defence argument.
If both arguments are weak, why did Ukraine focus on genocide in the case before the ICJ? To understand, we have to look at the court’s jurisdiction: that is, its power to decide some legal issues but not others.
The ICJ hears disputes solely between sovereign states (in contrast to the separate International Criminal Court, which tries individuals for committing things like war crimes).
The ICJ does not automatically have jurisdiction over every state and every issue. There is no global government that could give it that power. Like many other aspects of international law, its jurisdiction relies on states giving consent – agreement – either directly or indirectly.
Some states have given consent by making general declarations. Other states have consented to particular treaties that give the ICJ the power to decide disputes related specifically to those treaties.
Since Russia has not made a general declaration, Ukraine could not ask the ICJ to rule on its self-defence argument. But Russia is a party to a relevant treaty, the Genocide Convention.
Ukraine’s creative strategy was to try to bring the case within the ICJ’s jurisdiction by arguing that Russia was making a false allegation of genocide to justify its illegal invasion.
Russia did not turn up to the courtroom in The Hague for the initial hearing in early March (though it did write the ICJ a letter outlining its view).
That is a change in its behaviour. After Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, Georgia similarly brought a case to the ICJ and tried to use a different treaty to bring it within the court’s jurisdiction. Russia participated in the case and actually had significant success.
Its failure to turn up this time signals its disengagement from international institutions.
Of the 15 judges, almost all agreed to order Russia to “immediately suspend” its military operations. There were two dissenters: the judges of Russian and Chinese nationality.
This was what is called a “provisional measures” order – an emergency ruling made before the court hears the whole case. Provisional measures are binding. That is important. It means even if Russia maintains incorrectly that the invasion is legal, it is now breaching international law anyway by failing to comply with the ICJ’s order.
However, a binding ruling is not the same as an enforceable one. Just as there is no global government to give the ICJ more power, there are no global police to enforce its decisions.
For example, in 1999, the ICJ ordered the United States to delay executing a German man on death row. Although the court confirmed such a provisional measure was binding, it could not actually stop the execution.
But ICJ decisions can play a more subtle role. They shape the narrative for law-abiding states and within the United Nations.
This ruling might help to embolden other states, including some that until now have been sitting on the fence, to contribute to actions like suffocating Russia’s economy with sanctions and arming Ukraine.
All the ICJ has done so far is to order provisional measures. It has not even found conclusively that it has jurisdiction in the case. It might be a long time before it decides the case as a whole.
But it has hinted it is receptive to Ukraine’s arguments. It has noted that it “is not in possession of evidence” to support Russia’s allegation that Ukraine has committed genocide.
Another strength of Ukraine’s case is that there is, in any event, no rule in international law automatically giving one state a right to invade another state to stop a genocide. One reason is that a cynical aggressor could manipulate or abuse such a rule. That is basically what this case is all about.
READ MORE: Latest development on Ukraine-Russia crisis
Reuters
Thu Mar 17 2022
Demonstrators outside the building of the World Court as judges rule on a request from Ukraine to issue an emergency measure to order Russia to cease military activities in Ukraine, in The Hague, Netherlands. - REUTERS
Malaysia, Jepun bincang kerjasama perdagangan, pertanian
Malaysia dan Jepun mengadakan perbincangan dua hala yang antara lain menyentuh mengenai perdagangan, pertanian dan peranan Malaysia sebagai hab halal yang boleh dimanfaatkan negara itu.
MSPO mampu penuhi permintaan EUDR, kata pakar
Panel pakar pensijilan yang dipanggil oleh MPOC telah menilai keupayaan pensijilan MSPO sebagai instrumen untuk memastikan pematuhan kepada EUDR.
SUKMA XXI bakal bawa limpahan ekonomi kepada Sarawak - Abdul Karim
Pemain industri perhotelan, inap desa dan pengusaha makanan serta pengangkutan di Sarawak bakal menerima limpahan ekonomi daripada penganjuran temasya SUKMA XXI Sarawak 2024.
Minggu Latihan Kebangsaan pupuk budaya pembelajaran sepanjang hayat - HRD Corp
HRD Corp bakal menganjurkan NTW pada Jun ini, bertujuan menerapkan budaya pembelajaran sepanjang hayat dalam kalangan rakyat melalui peluang meningkatkan kemahiran dan pembelajaran secara percuma.
Kru kapal dikaitkan dengan Israel dibebaskan
Iran berkata pembebasan anak kapal adalah tindakan kemanusiaan dan mereka boleh pulang ke negara mereka bersama kapten kapal.
Agensi Risikan Seoul beri amaran Korea Utara rancang serangan ke atas kedutaan
Agensi Risikan Korea Selatan mengeluarkan amaran Pyongyang sedang merancang serangan yang menyasarkan pegawai dan rakyat Seoul di luar negara, dan kementerian luar perlu meningkatkan tahap amaran untuk misi diplomatik di lima negara.
20 terkorban bas terjatuh dalam gaung di utara Pakistan
Bas berkenaan dalam perjalanan ke kawasan pergunungan utara Gilgit-Baltistan dari Rawalpindi di wilayah timur Pakistan.
MKT UMNO beri komitmen sokong kempen calon PH
Mesyuarat Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO bersetuju untuk memberi komitmen penuh untuk membantu calon Pakatan Harapan (PH), Pang Sock Tao pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu, pada 11 Mei ini.
Laluan alternatif hubungkan Sibu-Kapit akan dibina
Satu jajaran jalan baharu akan dibina sebagai laluan alternatif yang akan menghubungkan Sibu dengan Kapit melibatkan jarak kira-kira 66 kilometer (km).
UNESCO anugerahkan hadiah kepada wartawan Palestin
Wartawan berkenaan dianugerahkan Hadiah Kebebasan Akhbar Dunia UNESCO/Guillermo Cano 2024 pada Khamis di Chile, lapor agensi berita Jerman (DPA).
Azerbaijan minta ICJ teruskan kes terhadap Armenia
Ia adalah salah satu daripada dua kes yang dilakukan oleh musuh negara jiran selama berdekad-dekad konflik etnik sesama mereka.
Negara Islam, Arab puji keputusan ICJ supaya Israel buka sekatan ke Gaza
Riyadh menyokong kesemua usaha menambah pembekalan bantuan kemanusiaan dengan segera dan mengurangkan krisis kemanusiaan yang meruncing di Gaza.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
ICJ arah Israel ambil tindakan atasi kebuluran di Gaza
ICJ berkata, rakyat Palestin di Gaza menghadapi keadaan hidup yang teruk, kelaparan dan kebuluran semakin meruncing.
Israel minta ICJ tidak keluar perintah baharu isu kebuluran di Gaza
Peguam Israel berkata permintaan berulang Afrika Selatan untuk langkah tambahan adalah penyalahgunaan prosedur.
Jumlah korban warga Palestin angkara serangan Israel mencecah 31,726 sejak 7 Oktober
Sekurang-kurangnya 81 warga Palestin maut dan 116 lagi cedera dalam 24 jam lepas berikutan serangan berterusan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza sejak 7 Okt.
Gaza: Afrika Selatan teliti laporan Israel kepada ICJ sebelum ambil langkah susulan
Afrika Selatan sedang meneliti laporan yang dihantar Israel kepada ICJ mengenai langkah bagi mencegah genosid di Gaza sebelum memutuskan langkah seterusnya.
Hujahan Malaysia di ICJ sangat bermakna untuk Palestin - Dr Ang Swee Chai
UNRWA kini semakin berdepan kesukaran untuk menyalurkan bantuan akibat sekatan yang dikenakan.
Kekejaman Zionis: Israel fail laporan kepada ICJ mengenai Gaza
Sebelum ini, ICJ meminta Israel untuk menghalang tindakan perang di Gaza yang mungkin bersamaan pembunuhan beramai-ramai.
Gelombang kutukan dunia terhadap Israel kini amat besar - Mohamad Hasan
Gelombang kutukan dunia atas kekejaman Israel terhadap Palestin serta pencabulan terhadap hak rakyat negara itu kini amat besar, kata Menteri Luar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.