SC Criminal Cassation Court discusses further vectors of cooperation with EUAM representatives in Ukraine

Oleksandr Marchuk, President of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, Nataliia Antoniuk, Vice President of the SC Criminal Cassation Court, and Oleksandra Yanovska, judge of the SC Criminal Cassation Court, met with Magdalena Cole, EUAM Senior Adviser on International Crimes Prosecutions, and Oleksandr Ishchenko, EUAM Legal Adviser, International Crimes Component.

Mr. Marchuk highlighted the role of the Supreme Court's cooperation with EUAM Ukraine. The Supreme Court judges share the experience and knowledge gained through this cooperation with their colleagues from the first instance and appellate courts during scientific and practical conferences and training events.

"We understand the importance and necessity of continuing the reforms initiated in the framework of European integration. Along with reforms, our main task is to administer justice. In the context of war crimes, it is to bring to justice those who commit war crimes on the territory of our country, as well as to protect victims of these crimes. We make every effort to ensure that the decisions of national courts meet the highest international standards. This applies to all categories of crimes without exception," said the President of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court.

Nataliia Antoniuk expressed her gratitude to the lawyers of all countries who support Ukraine in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian legal community is faced with new categories of cases in which it is necessary to take into account both the provisions of national legislation and the provisions of international humanitarian and criminal law.

"The opinion of our foreign colleagues on war crimes is important to us. A number of issues require further joint work, in particular, the so-called command responsibility, immunities, war crimes and the application of the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, articles on ecocide and genocide, the crime of aggression, as well as the improvement of national legislation," the Vice President of the SC CrimCC stressed.

Oleksandra Yanovska drew attention to the application of the procedural law in war crimes cases.

The judge noted: "Court decisions in this category of cases can be appealed to international judicial institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights. It is therefore very important to respect the right to a fair trial. That is why it is necessary to exchange experiences with judges and lawyers who have handled similar cases".

In her turn, Magdalena Cole thanked the entire Ukrainian legal system for its work in today's conditions. She stressed that the current cooperation is a bilateral process, as EUAM is also learning from the experience of Ukrainian judges.

The Supreme Court was also represented by Viktoriia Shmyretska, Head of the Division Providing Operations Support to the President and Vice President of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, and Oksana Hunko, Chief Specialist of the Division for International Cooperation of the Supreme Court.