Canada, Netherlands to intervene in genocide case against Russia at ICJ

Canada and the Netherlands have filed a joint declaration of intervention in Ukraine’s genocide case against Russia at the International Court Of Justice (ICJ), the countries said in a joint statement on December 7.

"Today, Canada and the Kingdom of the Netherlands filed a joint declaration of intervention in the case brought by Ukraine against Russia at the International Court of Justice. In these proceedings, Ukraine seeks 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," the countries said in the statement posted on the website of the Canadian Global Affairs Ministry.

"Canada and the Netherlands avail themselves of the right to intervene in this case under Article 63(2) of the Statute of the Court in order to place their interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) before the court. It is in the interest of all states parties to the convention, and more broadly of the international community as a whole, that the Genocide Convention not be misused or abused. 

"We reiterate the importance of these proceedings and urge, once again, Russia to immediately suspend its military operations in Ukraine, as ordered by the court in its legally binding order of March 16, 2022, on provisional measures. Russia’s failure to comply with this order constitutes a further breach of its international obligations.  

"In closing, Canada and the Netherlands reaffirm their commitment to accountability and the rules-based international order and stress the court’s vital role in the paceful settlement of disputes as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations," the statement said.