For the first time in UN history, its member states denied Russia the right to administer justice on their behalf in the International Court of Justice, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced it on social media, stating “The world sees who destroys international law instead of protecting it.” He also congratulated some countries on their victories in elections to the ICJ at both the Security Council and General Assembly.
“Congratulations to representatives of Australia, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, and the US for winning votes for ICJ in both UNSC and UNGA,” Zelesnkyy wrote in X (Twitter).
Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsya said in X (Twitter) that in the Security Council, Russia failed to garner over 5-6 votes in any of the five rounds. Comparatively, the United States consistently won 12-14 votes per round.
“In fact, this is a historic event. For the first time since 1946, Moscow was told to leave the International Court of Justice,” Kyslytsya added.
The newly elected judge is a Professor of International Law Bogdan Aurescu, Romania’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Mykola Hnatovskyy commented that Aurescu’s appointment means for the first time ever there will not be a Soviet/Russian judge on the ICJ in The Hague.
Read also: