Lana Zerkal on the Chances of Ukraine’s Claim Against Russia at the International Court of Justice

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine noted during the expert talk that the challenges which Ukraine was confronted with detected gaps in the international law which was developed without taking into account modern hybrid warfare.

In December 2017, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will be reporting about her work in New York at the Annual Assembly of the ICC member states. Her report will also include the assessment of the situation in Ukraine. On the eve of this event, it should also be noted that apart from the ICC Ukraine is also claiming its rights at the International Court of Justice.

One of the strategic areas for the International Renaissance Foundation is to promote internationally acknowledged mechanisms for the protection of human rights in Ukraine. The Foundation supports the cooperation of Ukrainian authorities and non-government organizations with the International Criminal Court, UN International Court and other international institutions aimed to crackdown on impunity regarding the massive abuse of human rights in the Crimea and Donbass.

In support of these efforts, the International Renaissance Foundation organized an expert talk as part of the 14th Annual Meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES). The subject of the talk was the assessment of national and international legal mechanisms aimed to restore justice on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine noted during the expert talk that the challenges which Ukraine was confronted with detected gaps in the international law which was developed without taking into account modern hybrid warfare. The full speech of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs can be watched on our YouTube channel.

“We must be aware that the convention on fight against terrorism was developed in the 90s, that is why it is not quite or even not at all in line with today’s hybrid threats”, Lana Zerkal said at this year’s YES meeting.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also specified that Ukraine is protecting its rights under the international law at the International Court of Justice not only on the basis of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, but also in the framwork of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. Ukraine is also utilizing the Convention on Maritime Law and is making efforts to prove the violation of its rights as a coastal state at the International Maritime Court. 

“As far as the Maritime Convention is concerned, we are now preparing a memorandum which we are going to submit in February 2018, and in June 2018 we will submit a memorandum regarding the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism”, Lana Zerkal told about the next plans of Ukraine.

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