JURIST - Paper Chase: Georgia files complaint against Russia with International Court of Justice

[JURIST] Georgia filed a complaint [PDF text; press release, PDF] against Russia with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] on Tuesday, alleging that invading Russian troops have engaged in murder, rape and mass displacement of civilians during the recent conflict between the countries. Georgia also accused Russia of ongoing violations of the 1965 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [text] since 1990 based on its removal of ethnic Georgians from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia is seeking an ICJ order that Russia pay compensation, withdraw its troops, and allow all displaced ethnic Georgians to return home. AP has more.

On Wednesday, Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of Russia's Prosecutor General's Office, said that his staff is collecting evidence [JURIST report] of war crimes allegedly committed by Georgian forces in the breakaway region of South Ossetia [BBC report]. Georgian officials have also accused Russian forces [JURIST report] of human rights violations and mass detentions in the region. On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev [official website] ordered an end to military action [press release] in the region, but Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili [official website] said Wednesday that Russian troops had continued to advance [speech transcript].

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