PRESS RELEASE
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity informs the people of Nicaragua and the international community that today it has filed before the International Court of Justice a request for permission to intervene in the case initiated on December 29, 2023 by South Africa against Israel related to the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.
As a State Party to the Convention, Nicaragua has the obligation to prevent Genocide and to cooperate to this end with the other Contracting Parties, including by resorting to the competent organs of the United Nations of which the Court is the main judicial organ, in accordance with the provisions of articles VIII and IX of the Genocide Convention.
Nicaragua’s request to participate in said process has been made under Article 62 of the Statute of the Court, which implies that if said intervention is authorized, Nicaragua would participate as a state party to the process with all the legal implications derived from the Court’s ruling.
Nicaragua’s decision to request intervention as a state party on the merits of the matter, and not as a simple participant in the interpretation of the Convention, reflects the commitment of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity and the people of Nicaragua in the liberation of the Palestinian people and humanity in general from the scourge of genocide, and demonstrates its determination to fulfill its obligation to contribute to preventing and punishing the genocidal acts that are being carried out in the Gaza Strip.
Nicaragua, like the international community, considers that the actions undertaken by Israel constitute clear violations of the Convention against Genocide, which acts have been accompanied by statements from the highest authorities of Israel that clearly reveal the genocidal intention and dehumanization to which the Palestinian people have been subjected.
Given the urgency of the situation, Nicaragua emphasizes that its request for intervention clearly indicates that it should not delay the Court’s procedures and deliberations related to the urgent request for provisional measures, which is expected to be decided soon.
Nicaragua once again urges Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law, and to end immediately its military assault against the Palestinian people. Likewise, it calls for the end of the occupation, the establishment of conditions for a lasting and permanent solution that respects the 1967 borders with a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity reaffirms its firm commitment to the Rule of Law at the International Level and the peaceful settlement of disputes between States.
Managua, January 23th, 2024
Government of Reconciliation
and National Unity
Republic of Nicaragua
Note:
The League of Arab States (ArabMPI), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in addition to the Libyan House of Representatives’ Foreign Committee, the Foreign Ministries of Lebanon, Iran, Indonesia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, The Maldives, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil have expressed their support for the South African case against Israel at the ICJ in The Hague, accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. (January 2024)
Nicaragua Endorses South Africa’s Lawsuit Against Israel in the ICJ
INTERNATIONALIST 360° 