The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service informs that on January 16, 2017, Ukrainian diplomats conveyed a lawsuit in the international court of justice (the Hague Tribunal) against Russia .
The Russian Federation is accused of violating two conventions: the UN Convention on combating financing of terrorism and the Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
The report states, that the Russian Federation is violating the Terrorism Financing Convention by supplying weapons and other forms of assistance to illegal armed groups operating on Ukrainian territory. These groups have committed acts of terrorism in Ukraine with weapons supplied by Russia, including the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17.
“Other acts of terrorism include the bombardment of residential areas in Mariupol and Kramatorsk, the destruction of a civilian passenger bus near Volnovakha, and the deadly bombing of a peaceful gathering in Kharkiv,” reads the report.
In addition, Ukraine alleges that the Russian Federation is violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by engaging in a campaign of discrimination against non-Russian communities living in the occupied Crimean Peninsula, including, in particular, the ethnic Ukrainian and Tatar communities.
Pavlo Klimkin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, states that Russia has displayed contempt for the Ukrainians’ basic human rights:
“As part of its unlawful aggression in Ukraine, the Russian Federation has displayed contempt for the basic human rights of the people of Ukraine,” said Pavlo Klimkin.
“We have tried to resolve the disputes through negotiation as required by Conventions for more than two years, but the Russian Federation has been unwilling to cease its violations of international law. Therefore, we have filed our case to hold the Russian Federation accountable for these violations and to vindicate the fundamental rights of the Ukrainian people under these treaties, to which the Russian Federation is a signatory,” added the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Ukraine has requested the International Court of Justice to impose provisional measures to prevent Russia from compounding its human rights abuses while the case is pending.
See also: The Hague court accepts evidence of Russia`s war crimes in Ukraine
