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handle is hein.crs/govefjg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional                                             ______
*    Research Service                                          II         IIII
The Role of International Tribunals in the
Response to the Invasion of Ukraine
March 8, 2022
The Ukrainian government and much of the international community contend that actions taken by
Russian forces during Russia's invasion of Ukraine violate international law. A number of officials have
also expressed concern that actions during the invasion may amount to war crimes and crimes against
humanity; others, including the Secretary General of the United Nations (U.N.) and the U.S. Secretary of
State have claimed that the situation in Ukraine is leading to increased human rights violations. This
Sidebar addresses the role of international tribunals in addressing issues involving international
humanitarian and human rights law.
Individual and Russian Accountability for Actions in
Ukraine
Several international tribunals may play a role in addressing Russia's actions in Ukraine, chiefly the
International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), and European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR). This section provides an overview of current and prior disputes involving Ukrainian
allegations against Russia or individuals connected to Russian actions in Ukraine.
International Court of Justice
Two days after the Russian invasion began, Ukraine filed an application with the ICJ to initiate
proceedings against Russia under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (Genocide Convention). Article II of that Convention defines genocide as certain wrongful
acts-such as killing, causing serious bodily harm, or deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring
about physical destruction-when committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or
religious group. In its ICJ filing, Ukraine contends that Russia premised its invasion on fabricated claims
of Ukrainian genocide against Russians or Russian-speakers in Ukraine, which Ukraine emphatically
denies. Ukraine argues Russia has turned the Genocide Convention on its head-making a false claim
of genocide as a basis to justify its own grave and widespread human rights violations.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
LSB10704
CRS Legal Sidebar
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

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