Ukraine Calls on ICC to Prosecute Russia for Children’s Hospital Strike

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Ukraine seeking an ICC trial against Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden’s fumbled NATO speeches, and a controversial asylum bill in Finland.

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Seeking Justice

Ukraine’s top prosecutor urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) late Thursday to prosecute Russia for launching a missile strike on a children’s hospital earlier this week. Kyiv’s security service said it has unequivocal evidence that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile hit Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on Monday, killing two adults and injuring around 90 others.

“For the sake of international justice, cases like the intentional attack on the biggest child hospital in Kyiv [are] worth lifting to the ICC,” said Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

If the ICC takes the case, legal experts argue, then the hospital strike could be used to help establish a pattern showing that Moscow is committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Kyiv can only charge war crimes and not more serious offenses—such as crimes against humanity—because those types of charges are not part of Ukraine’s penal code.

Russia denies attacking the hospital and instead blames, without evidence, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile for the attack. However, the head of the United Nations’ rights mission in Ukraine said on Tuesday that there is a “high likelihood” that a Russian missile conducted the hit.

Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital is the country’s largest children’s facility. Monday’s strike “completely destroyed” the clinic’s toxicology ward; damaged part of the oncology and hematology laboratory, the only such laboratory in the country; and affected around a dozen other departments.

The ICC has already issued six arrest warrants against Russian officials for alleged crimes in Ukraine. This includes one against President Vladimir Putin for the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children, which could constitute a war crime. The latest warrants were issued last month against former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The two senior security officials are accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity for targeting critical civilian infrastructure, specifically while carrying out strikes against Ukrainian power plants from October 2022 to March 2023.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday demanding that Moscow immediately “cease its aggression against Ukraine” and withdraw all of its troops, particularly from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russian forces occupied the Ukrainian-run plant shortly after the war began, and both sides have accused the other of attacking the facility.

The resolution also reaffirms the U.N.’s commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.” Nine countries voted against it, including Russia, and 85 nations either abstained or didn’t vote.

Today’s Most Read

What We’re Following

Biden fumbles. More Democratic Party lawmakers called on Friday for U.S. President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid following multiple gaffes during a major speech and solo press conference at the NATO summit on Thursday. “Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump,” Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen wrote. At least 18 congressional members have now officially endorsed removing Biden from the 2024 presidential ticket.

At a NATO summit event on Thursday, Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting himself. And during his press conference later that evening, which many experts viewed as vital to reverse public concern over his poor debate performance in June, Biden mixed up Trump and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Yet Biden remained defiant when asked about calls to end his campaign. “I’ve got to finish this job,” the president said.

Despite several verbal blunders, Biden laid out a detailed vision for strengthening NATO, and he urged Israel not to occupy the Gaza Strip when its war against Hamas concludes. On Friday, he added that a cease-fire “framework is now agreed on by both Israel and Hamas,” though the plan’s details still require negotiation. Neither Israel nor Hamas have confirmed the announcement.

Blocking asylum-seekers. Finland narrowly passed a temporary bill on Friday that would allow border officials to turn away asylum-seekers coming from Russia. The legislation, in place for one year, will halt acceptances of asylum applications for up to a month at a time and remove migrants who already made it into the country, a practice known as “pushbacks” that legal scholars argue violates Finnish and European Union law.

“I hope that this law will never have to be applied, but we are prepared,” right-wing Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said. Helsinki has accused Moscow of trying to weaponize migration across their 830-mile shared border in retaliation for Finland joining NATO last year; Russia has called the allegations “unsubstantiated.” Finland closed all land crossings with Russia last December after more than 1,300 people entered the country in under a year. Since then, only around 35 migrants have entered Finland from Russia.

Upcoming elections. Rwanda will hold a general election on Monday that will likely see no change to the status quo. Incumbent President Paul Kagame is expected to clinch a fourth term, extending his nearly three-decade hold on power by another five years. Kagame won nearly 99 percent of the vote in 2017 in an election that, like this year’s, faced almost no serious opposition. Rights groups have criticized Kigali’s harsh restrictions on human rights, including government efforts to crush political dissent. Rwanda is one of only 12 countries that Freedom House has ranked as “not free” for the entire time that the organization has been assessing them.

Syria will also hold parliamentary elections on Monday to determine all 250 seats in its unicameral legislature. This is the nation’s fourth such vote since civil war erupted in 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ruling Baath Party and its left-wing and Arab nationalist coalition members are expected to secure a majority in the rubber-stamp parliament, running virtually unopposed. The Baath Party has held power since 1963.

What in the World?

Iranian authorities on Saturday declared which candidate the winner of the country’s presidential election?

A. Moderate Masoud PezeshkianB. Conservative hard-liner Saeed JaliliC. Former counterintelligence director Mostafa PourmohammadiD. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Odds and Ends

As delicious as they may be, officials at South Korea’s Mount Halla are tired of instant ramen noodles. The local National Park Office urged hikers late last month to stop pouring their leftover soup broth onto the country’s tallest mountain or into its streams, saying the heavy salt content damages the environment. Local media reported that visitors are dumping between 26 and 31 gallons of broth a day. A new campaign in July hopes to educate tourists on the dangers of ramen to Mount Halla; it has already installed five large containers along its trails where slurpers can safely dispose of their leftovers.

And the Answer Is…

A. Moderate Masoud Pezeshkian

Pezeshkian seeks detente with the West, but a potential second Donald Trump presidency—and the Israel-Hamas war—could hinder his efforts, Ali Vaez argues.

To take the rest of FP’s weekly international news quiz, click here, or sign up to be alerted when a new one is published.

The post Ukraine Calls on ICC to Prosecute Russia for Children’s Hospital Strike appeared first on Foreign Policy.