On December 5 and 6, 2023, the National School of Judges of Ukraine and the Programme “Competence Development for the Legal Sector of Ukraine” jointly organised an offsite training for judges on war crimes in Poland, which was attended by members of the Commission Liudmyla Volkova and Nadiia Kobetska.
Participants were invited to enhance their awareness of the application of international humanitarian and criminal law by national courts in the investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, crimes against the population and property; evidence and proof in war crimes cases and compliance with the requirements of a fair trial in war crimes cases, as well as the validity and reasoning of sentences.
In Ukraine, the issue of punishment for war crimes because of military aggression influence is increasingly becoming relevant. The Commission delegates were charged with special task: to identify the needs for evaluation of judges, who hear war crimes cases, and to enhance their qualifications.
Ms. Volkova noted that such training courses are a step towards improving judicial practice and balanced judicial proceedings in the context of military conflict. She further expressed confidence that the knowledge gained would contribute to the elaboration of more advanced procedures for the qualification evaluation of judges dealing with military cases.
Nadiia Kobetska expressed the view that such training will assist Commission members to more objectively evaluate the knowledge of judges, their skills and ability to apply international standards in similar cases.
The training event included lectures by leading international law experts, practical cases analysis and discussions of various court decisions.
During these two days of training course, the Commission members exchanged experience with their colleagues and discovered innovative approaches to war crimes trials.