The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Thursday that it will hear a case by Ukraine alleging human rights violations by Russia in the Crimean Peninsula.

The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. Soon after the Russian forces seized control of the peninsula, Russia held a referendum in which Crimea, which has a Russian-speaking majority, voted to join Russia. The results of this referendum were deemed illegal by Ukraine and the West.

In addition to the legality of the annexation, human rights violations in the peninsula have been a cause of great concern. There have been reports of human rights violations on 12 counts, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and targeting Crimean Tatars. This issue was brought forth by Ukraine for adjudication by the ECHR, which agreed Thursday to take up the case.

On the jurisdictional issue, the ECHR concluded that it has the competence to examine the application. On the admissibility issue, all 12 counts of human rights violations alleged by the Ukrainian government were found to be admissible. A judgment will follow at a later date.