The Diplomat
Spain has joined the initiative taken by the United States, Canada and other European countries to appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought by Ukraine against Russia for genocide.
According to a communiqué issued yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish embassy in The Hague has submitted to the ICJ the Declaration of Intervention of Spain in the case of Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).
The communiqué recalls that on 26 February Ukraine lodged a complaint with the ICJ against the Russian Federation, which invokes the commission of genocide by the Ukrainian authorities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a pretext to justify its military aggression against Ukraine.
As a State party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Foreign Affairs text indicates, Spain has the right to intervene in the process as an interested State.
With this step, Spain joins other member states of the European Union, as well as the United States and Canada, among others, that have presented similar declarations.
In its Declaration, Spain argues that the Court has jurisdiction to try the case.
Furthermore, the statement indicates that Spain reiterates its strong condemnation of the military intervention in Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which it considers a serious threat to international peace and security, and underlines its commitment to the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.
Spain also reaffirms its commitment to international law and, in particular, to the obligations of States not to resort to the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, as well as to respect international human rights law, of which the Convention against Genocide is a fundamental text, according to the communiqué.
