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‘Complete disregard for the sanctity of life and the law’
Russia’s “disregard” for civilian life and international law is being criticised by the International Bar Association as Russia ramps up its shelling of Ukraine, according to reports from Kyiv-based officials.
Keonia Swift
Following assaults on Ukraine’s justice system in July of this year, Russia’s continued and intensified bombardment across Ukraine has resulted in civilian deaths, injuries, and displacements, as evidenced by today’s kamikaze drone attack on Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Lawyers Weekly reported on the wave of BigLaw firms pulling their offices in Russia.
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution yesterday (12 October) urging countries and organisations not to recognise the four areas of Ukraine that Russia has seized after so-called referendums in September.
Russia’s staking claim to Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. As the shelling continues today, the resolution insists that Moscow abandon its illegal annexation plans.
Commenting on this, IBA president Sternford Moyo said: “The IBA condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent expanded fusillade of missile launches indiscriminately attacking the civilian population across the country, causing deaths, great suffering, and destruction.”
“This spate of shelling is yet another example of Russia’s complete disregard for the sanctity of life and the law.”
Mr Moyo added: “It is admirable that while Ukrainians are fighting for their very existence, they are simultaneously resolute in systematically documenting Russia’s infringements so that at a future date, the perpetrators can be held to account without ambiguity.”
IBA director-general Dr Mark Ellis remarked: “The widespread shelling of Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine is yet another war crime in a long list committed by Russia’s civilian and military leaders in its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“One of the most sacred principles of international humanitarian law, mandated on all parties to the conflict, is the protection of civilians. The indiscriminate attack against civilians violates this principle, and those committing these crimes must be brought to justice.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books, Dr Ellis shared his insights and discussed the legal ramifications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “I can now say, unequivocally, that atrocity crimes have been committed. There’s a great deal at stake, not just for Ukraine and its citizens, but for the concept of international justice and accountability.”
Russia is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, but it has withdrawn from one of the protocols related to protecting victims of international armed conflicts. The present round of extensive bombardment is in clear violation of these conventions.
The Geneva Conventions are a set of four treaties and three supplemental protocols that govern the treatment of civilians, prisoners of war, and troops who are otherwise rendered incapable of fighting. These international rules still bind Russia.
