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.
Ukrainian Dimension of International Criminal Justice — Q&A with Judge of the European Court of Human Rights from Ukraine, Mykola Hnatovskyi
- 19 July
- 11:00
- Online
Mykola Hnatovskyi is a renowned Ukrainian international lawyer, the First Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law, and one of the initiators and authors of the Declaration and Statement on the establishment of a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Since June 2022, he has served as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights representing Ukraine, having previously worked extensively with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, including three terms as its president.
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.
Speakers :
- Oleksandra Matviychuk, human rights activist, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, the initiative "Tribunal for Putin" (T4P)
- Nataliya Gumenyuk, Ukrainian journalist, and author specializing in conflict reporting, the founder and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab (PIJL), co-founded "The Reckoning Project: Ukraine Testifies"
- Matthew Gillett, Senior Lecturer, Essex Law School and Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (Online)
- Anton Korinevych, ambassador on special assignments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, representative of Ukraine at the UN International Court of Justice, candidate of legal sciences
- Sergey Petukhov, senior lecturer of the Department of International and European Law of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration (2015-2019)
- Philip Sands, lawyer, lawyer-practitioner at the Matrix Bar Association, director of the Center for International Courts and Tribunals, royal adviser, professor of law (Online)
- Elina Steinerte, member of the subcommittee on prevention of torture, expert of the Moscow Mechanism of the OSCE (Online)
Moderator: Maxim Krapivnyy, editor of the program "Facts of the Week" on ICTV channel, author and host of the YouTube channel "Krapivnyy".
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.
Speakers :
- Roman Romanov, director of the "Human Rights and Justice" program of the International Renaissance Foundation
- Victoria Mozgova, national consultant of the UN Foundation in the field of population, candidate of legal sciences, senior research associate
- Arie Mora, communications and advocacy manager of the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group
- Anna Vishnyakova, head of NGO "LingvaLexa", co-author of the book "Calls to genocide: bringing propagandists to justice. International experience and Ukrainian law" (Online)
- Mykola Havronyuk, professor of the Department of Criminal and Criminal Procedural Law of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Law, Deputy Chairman of the Working Group on the Development of Criminal Law of the Commission on Legal Reform under the President of Ukraine (Online)
- Iryna Marchuk, Professor at the University of Copenhagen (Online)
Moderator: Konstantin Zadoya, expert at the Center for Civil Liberties, PhD in Law, professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
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.
Attention, events will occur IN PARALLEL.
Case stud #1. The case of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP: prospects for prosecution and punishment of the guilty at the international and national level
Moderator: Kostyantyn Zadoya, expert of the Center for Civil Liberties, candidate of legal sciences, professor of Taras Shevchenko KNU.
Speakers:
- Roman Avramenko, executive director of the NGO "Truth Hounds"
- Timur Korotky, Head of the NGO "Fundamental Research Support Fund", vice-president of the Ukrainian Association of International Law, candidate of legal sciences
Case study #2. Arbitrary deprivation of freedom of the civilian population of Ukraine by the Russian Federation : grounds and possible mechanisms of criminal responsibility
Moderator: Nataliya Yaschuk, senior manager of the Department of War Consequences Overcoming the Civil Liberties Center.
Speakers:
- Mykhailo Savva, doctor of political sciences, expert of the Center for Civil Liberties
- Elina Steinerte, member of the subcommittee on prevention of torture, expert of the Moscow Mechanism of the OSCE (online)
- Veronika Bilkova, Professor of International Law and Head of the Department of Public International Law at the Faculty of Law of Charles University, Vice-President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and a member of four OSCE expert missions to Ukraine (online)
Enjoy everyone!
Speakers:
- Gunnar Ekeleve-Slidal, Deputy Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (online)
- Dov Jacobs, attorney at ICC, associate professor at Leiden University, founder of SILC (Strategic International Legal Consulting) (online)
- Virginia Amato, Director of Advocacy, Coalition for the International Criminal Court (online)
- Lachezar Yanev, Associate Professor of International Criminal Law at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology of the University of Amsterdam (online)
- David Donat Cattin, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University
Moderator: Serhii Petukhov, senior lecturer of the Department of International and European Law of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration (2015-2019)
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.
Attention, events will occur IN PARALLEL.
Case study #3. Pitfalls of the national implementation of the provisions of international law regarding war crimes: what are they and does Ukraine manage to avoid them?
Moderator: Serhii Petukhov, senior lecturer of the Department of International and European Law of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration (2015-2019)
Speakers:
- Hanna Kuczynska, Professor at the Institute of Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, member of the executive board of the Sunflowers Foundation
- Mark Klamberg, Professor and Head of the Department of Public International Law, Stockholm University (online)
Case study #4. Non-application of immunities from criminal prosecution for international crimes: impasse or pre-revolutionary situation in international law?
Moderator: Kostyantyn Zadoya, expert of the Center for Civil Liberties, candidate of legal sciences, professor of Taras Shevchenko KNU.
Speakers:
- Mykola Pashkovskyi, researcher at the Scientific Research Institute for the Study of Crime Problems named after Academician V.V. Stashis of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, candidate of legal sciences (online)
- Mykyta Petrovets, lawyer of the public organization "Regional Center for Human Rights"
Informal communication, exchange of impressions from the event.
Film
“Destroy, in Whole or in Part” — Screening of the Kyiv Independent Film and Discussion
- 18 July
- 18:00
- Offline
- Кyiv
Is Russia committing genocide in Ukraine? The film attempts to find a reasoned answer to this complex question. Its author, journalist from the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigation Unit, Danylo Mokryk, engages with academics and legal experts studying the genocide issue, as well as five Ukrainians who have firsthand experience with Russian war crimes.
The film’s duration is 60 minutes. After the screening, there will be a discussion with the film’s author. The film will be broadcast in Ukrainian.
Webinars
How to Document International Crimes? — Worksho by Serhiy Movchan
- 16 July
- 16:00
- Offline
- Київ
Participants of the event will have the opportunity to explore various aspects of international crimes in the context of the war in Ukraine, gain knowledge, and practical skills in documentation through interviewing witnesses and victims of war crimes.
The workshop will be conducted by Serhiy Movchan, Head of the Department for Documentation of War Crimes at the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU).
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)
Senior Lecturer Essex Law School and Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
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"
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, 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
Professor in international law and head of the department of public international law at the Faculty of Law of the Charles University, Vice-president of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and member of four OSCE missions of experts on Ukraine
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
Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University
executive director of Truth Hounds
Professor at the Institute of Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, member of the executive board of the Sunflowers Foundation
Ukrainian journalist, and author specializing in conflict reporting, the founder and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab (PIJL), co-founded "The Reckoning Project: Ukraine Testifies"
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
