The President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court learns about Croatia's experience in investigating and prosecuting war crimes

"Unfortunately, Ukraine, like Croatia, has been a witness to gross violations of international humanitarian law. Both our peoples have suffered a terrible fate. Although the times have changed, the signature of cruelty, violence, aggression and torture has not. Evil remains evil. It is not always possible to tackle violence alone. That is why international assistance and support is extremely important in this process," said Oleksandr Marchuk, President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, during a workshop "War Crimes Investigation and Prosecution – Sharing the Knowledge and Experience of the Republic of Croatia" held in Zagreb.

On behalf of the judges of the Criminal Cassation Court and on his own behalf, Oleksandr Marchuk expressed his gratitude for the invitation and the opportunity to participate in this workshop. He stressed that this was a valuable and necessary experience for Ukraine to effectively investigate and try criminal proceedings related to war and Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"A brutal and bloody war is being waged. Russia is cynically violating the norms and principles of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. Since 24 February 2022, a large number of war crimes have been committed. You all know the crimes committed by the aggressor in Irpin, Borodianka, Bucha, Mariupol, at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station... And while our soldiers are defending with arms the territorial integrity of Ukraine, its independence, European choice and values, the Ukrainian people has high expectations and a great demand for justice," the President of the SC Criminal Cassation Court noted.

According to him, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies should become a point of support for people in search of justice.

Today, during the war, Ukraine faces many challenges, but the courts and the law enforcement system continue to function, ensuring the continuous administration of justice, documenting and investigating crimes committed by the aggressor, and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Oleksandr Marchuk said that the Ukrainian courts were faced with a new category of criminal proceedings, so the support of Croatia, which shared its experience in handling such cases, was important. In addition, the President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court thanked for organising the visit of the SC judges to the Supreme Court of Croatia in December 2012.

"The judiciary has a lot of work to do. We know that most of the cases will be dealt with by national courts. I am convinced that joint efforts and international support will help us defeat the enemy and bring all perpetrators to justice," the President of the Court stressed.

Oleksandr Marchuk also met with Ivan Malenica, Minister of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia, to discuss future cooperation with the Supreme Court.

The two-day workshop was organised for a group of prosecutors and investigators from Ukraine. During three panel discussions, participants learned about the experiences of Croatian colleagues in investigating and prosecuting war crimes and analysed problematic issues in this area. The Ukrainian delegation also visited the County Court of Osijek and the local prosecutor's offices responsible for prosecuting war crimes, as well as the city of Vukovar, which became one of the symbols of gross violations of international humanitarian law and brutal aggression in Croatia in the 1990s.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia and the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA).