Investigation and prosecution of international crimes: study visit of Ukrainian judges to The Hague

Within the scope of the MATRA-Ukraine project "Strengthening Ukraine's Capacity to Investigate and Prosecute International Crimes", Nataliia Bilyk, Secretary of the Second Judicial Chamber of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, was part of a Ukrainian delegation on a study visit to The Hague (the Netherlands).

During the visit, the delegation met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, the International Commission on Missing Persons and other government agencies.

Participants in the visit attended sessions on sharing best practices in the adjudication of war crimes cases by national and international courts.

In particular, the discussion focused on the drafting of judgments in cases of international crimes and ensuring the fairness of such cases, courts under occupation, trials of collaborators, and types of liability for war crimes (including command responsibility).

The delegation also visited the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the International Criminal Court and discussed the interaction between national and international justice and the impact of the ICC's practice on national trials for international crimes.

The visit was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Asser Institute and Global Rights Compliance.