UN court orders Russia/Georgia to protect citizens

Georgia and Russia have been ordered by the UN’s highest court to ensure the security of all ethnic groups in the breakaway South Ossetia and Abhkazia regions and adjacent areas.

The International Court of Justice in the Hague also told the countries to refrain from sponsoring any act of racial discrimination.

It came in a provisional ruling on a Georgian claim that Russia had carried out human rights violations during their five-day war in August. It erupted after Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia by force.

Separately, Tbilisi and Moscow have blamed each other for the breakdown of talks on the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. An EU envoy at the negotiations in Geneva said they had been suspended over “procedural difficulties.” A new meeting has been arrange for November 19.

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