CEPEJ Plenary Meeting: Supreme Court Judge speaks on the current situation in the Ukrainian judiciary

Oleksandra Yanovska, Supreme Court Judge of the Criminal Cassation Court, Member of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) from Ukraine, took part in the 41st plenary meeting of the CEPEJ, held on 4-5 December 2023 in Strasbourg (France).

Oleksandra Yanovska addressed the plenary session and informed the participants about the current situation of the judicial system of Ukraine, which courageously continues to defend not only its land but also European democratic values. The speaker noted that the armed aggression has had a significant impact on the work of the Ukrainian judiciary. In particular, the courts in the temporarily occupied territory have ceased to function. About 20 per cent of Ukrainian courts were not functioning. After Ukraine regained control of parts of its territory seized during the full-scale invasion in 2022, the courts in these regions resumed their work.

In addition, 120 court buildings were damaged as a result of Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine. Due to the reduction in the number of functioning courts and the shortage of judges, the workload has increased significantly, which has of course affected the efficiency and quality of the consideration of cases.

Oleksandra Yanovska emphasised that despite the ongoing war, judicial reform is underway in Ukraine. In particular, the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine resumed their work.

The Supreme Court judge also spoke about the large number of criminal proceedings for crimes of aggression and war crimes, ensuring the right to a fair trial in these cases, etc.

Participants of the CEPEJ plenary meeting joined the working session "Artificial intelligence at the service of justice - concrete examples of implementation" and heard information on the latest developments in the field of justice in the Council of Europe member and observer states.

During the plenary meeting, participants discussed the preparation of the next CEPEJ report on the evaluation of European judicial systems, cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, cyber justice and artificial intelligence, etc.

CEPEJ President Francesco Depasquale also presented the draft CEPEJ Action Programme for 2024-2025.