15-19 July
Ukrainian International Criminal Justice Week
A series of events that gather lawyers, international relations specialists, representatives of civil society organizations, and state institutions. Conferences, lectures, workshops, webinars, presentations and discuss.
focus topic
How to Break the Cycle of Impunity?
Russia has been committing international crimes for years: in Chechnya, Moldova, Georgia, Mali, Syria, Libya, and other countries around the world. Russians believe they can do however they want because they have never been punished for anything.
For ten years, Russia has been committing international crimes in Ukraine: shelling civilian populations in territories controlled by Ukraine and kidnapping and torturing people in temporarily occupied territories. Russia destroys energy infrastructure and nature, uses banned munitions on the battlefield, and consciously and purposefully incites hatred against Ukrainians through its propagandists. Russia is brandishing nuclear weapons in front of all humanity and deliberately creating a global food crisis.
Unpunished evil always grows. That is why we are convinced that we must break this cycle of impunity. We have chosen this maxim as the focus topic of our traditional International Criminal Justice Week.
Conference
Ten Years of International Russian Crimes in Ukraine: Which Strategy Leads to Justice?
What is more preferable: absentee proceedings now, or proceedings with the presence of the accused in an uncertain future? Should we accept hundreds of sentences with weak legal arguments within the current judicial system, or dozens of sentences with strong arguments from a specialized court that could be established in the future? Should judgments be based on existing legislation or on amended legislation more closely aligned with the Rome Statute? So what should be the Ukrainian strategy in the fight for justice?
Welcome coffee and registration of participants and speakers.
Despite the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, the International Criminal Court has already issued several arrest warrants related to the conflict, including those for Putin and Lvova-Belova, as well as for two high-ranking Russian commanders - Serhiy Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov. However, within Ukrainian society, there's a prevalent opinion that these warrants hold little value and that international criminal justice is lengthy and ineffective. This raises the crucial question: How can we alter the global approach to justice? How do we persuade the world that in the 21st century, justice should not be delayed until the end of a war? Moreover, are there alternative methods for prosecuting war criminals and delivering justice to the victims of international crimes, aside from establishing a tribunal for aggression?
Coffee break.
Ukraine has recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC and cooperates with it. Ukrainian courts have already considered dozens of proceedings regarding Russian war crimes. However, many of these proceedings took place in absentia and were based on legislation which diverged from international law in numerous aspects. Even a decade after the start of Russian aggression, evident legal errors still occur in verdicts. Moreover, Ukrainian legislation lacks a separate article for crimes against humanity. These realities lead to the question: Does Ukraine truly possess a coherent strategy for punishing Russian international crimes? And if so, does it not require significant correction?
Coffee break.
Case study #1. The Kakhovka Dam Case: Prospects for Prosecution and Punishment of the Guilty at International and Domestic Levels.
Case study #2. Arbitrary Deprivation of Liberty of Ukrainian Civilians by the Russian Federation: Grounds and Potential Mechanisms for Criminal Accountability
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Enjoy everyone!
The Nuremberg Trials, the Tokyo Tribunal, the Tribunal for Rwanda, and the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia are just a few examples in history where international criminals have faced justice before international courts, either in person or in absentia. What lessons should Ukraine draw from these processes? Which cases and approaches should it adopt, and what changes should be implemented to enhance effectiveness in the fight for justice?
Coffee break.
Case study #3. Pitfalls of Domestic Implementation of War Crimes: What Are They and Is Ukraine Managing to Avoid Them?
Case study #4. Non-Application of Immunities from Criminal Prosecution for Crimes under International Law: Stalemate or Pre-Revolutionary Change in International Law?
Informal communication, exchange of impressions from the event.
Speakers
Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, "Tribunal for Putin" (T4P) initiative
ambassador on special assignment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ph.D
Professor and the Head of subject for Public international law at Stockholm University
International Law and International Criminal Law expert, Defense Counsel at the ICC and MICT and founder of SILC (Strategic International Legal Consulting)
Program Manager and Legal Officer of the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG)
Senior Lecturer at the Department of International and European Law NaUKMA, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for European Integration (2015-2019)
Head of the NGO LingvaLexa, co-author of the book "Head of the NGO LingvaLexa, co-author of the book " Incitement to Genocide: Bringing Propagandists to Justice. International Experience and Ukrainian Law"
Lawyer and investigator documenting atrocities committed in Ukraine and other conflict areas
PhD in Law, Member of the Expert Council of the Center for Civil Liberties, Professor of the Department of Criminal Law Policy and Criminal Law at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Associate Professor of International Criminal Law at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Member of the subcommittee on prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading forms of treatment and punishment of the Committee against Torture, expert of the Moscow Mechanism of the OSCE
writer and lawyer at 11 King's Bench Walk and Professor of Laws and Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London
Head of the NGO "Foundation for Support of Fundamental Research", Vice-President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law, PhD in Law
Director of the Human Rights and Justice Program at the International Renaissance Foundation
National Consultant at the United Nations Population Fund, PhD in Law, Senior Research Fellow
Institute for the Study of Crime Problems of National Academy of Law Sciences of Ukraine, Research Fellow, PhD in Law
Doctor of Law, Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Deputy Head of the Working Group on the Development of Criminal Law of the Legal Reform Commission under the President of Ukraine
This event is organized by Center for Civil Liberties as part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The contents of this event are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Partners of the event
