Georgia sues Russia for genocide as U.S. evacuates citizens
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
17:32GMT—1:32PM/EST
GEROGIA – RUSSIA – WAR – ICJ
Washington, 12 August (IranVNC)—As Russia and Georgia attempt to move towards a ceasefire for the five-day war that has claimed hundreds of lives, Georgian officials said today the country has filed a law suit against Russia at the International Court of Justice [ICJ] for ethnic cleansing, Reuters reports.
“Today, the Georgian ambassador to the Netherland filed a law suit to the International Court of Justice called ‘The state of Georgia against the state of Russia’ because of ethnic cleansing conducted in Georgia by Russia in 1993 to 2008,” said the secretary of Georgia’s Security Council, Kakha Lomaia, according to Reuters.
In a separate move, the International Criminal Court [ICC] Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said he may launch a preliminary investigation into the recent conflicts in Georgia’s breakaway province, South Ossetia.
Although Russia agreed to a ceasefire today, the US State Department has advised all US citizens to leave Georgia for fear of continuing Russian bombings. The U.S. has assisted in evacuating over 170 Americans from Georgia, and announced that its embassy in Tbilisi will stay open for emergencies, AP reports.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters
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