Western intelligence officials and diplomats told POLITICO they believed Nicaragua had filed the case against Germany at the U.N.’s top court at the behest of Moscow, speculating that Russia intended to undermine the ICJ’s authority by making it a venue for specious legal arguments.
Germany has rejected Nicaragua’s claims, with Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, director of international law at Germany’s Foreign Office, saying “they have no basis in fact or law.”
In January, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in a separate case at the same court. The ICJ did not accept that claim in a preliminary ruling, but cautioned Israel to ensure that its forces don’t commit acts of genocide in their war with Hamas.
