The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) opens hearings into the Georgia-Russia case, involving Tbilisi’s allegations of ethnic cleansing, on September 8.

Hearings will focus on Georgia’s request for provisional measures by the Court to prevent further cases of ethnic cleansing following the Russian invasion of Georgia, the Georgian government said in a statement.

In its application filed on August 12, Georgia claims Russia violated its obligations under the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) “during three distinct phases of its interventions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia” in the period from 1990 to August 2008.

“If endorsed by the Court, the emergency measures could help forestall further violence against ethnic Georgians,” the government said in a statement.

The Georgian side will present its arguments for three hours on September 8, followed by the Russian side’s arguments on the same day.

Hearings with exchange of arguments and rebuttals between the sides will also continue on August 9 and August 10.