On November 21st and 22nd, 2023, UpRights’ Co-Directors Valerie Gabard and Asa Solway, along with Senior Legal Advisor David Kinnecome, participated in a series of events organized to facilitate knowledge exchange among legal experts and enhance the capacity of Ukrainian judges in the realm of international criminal law.
On November 21st, Valérie and Asa engaged in a thought-provoking session promoted by the T.M.C Asser Instituut focusing on judgement drafting in international crimes cases. The discussion began with their relevant experience at international criminal tribunals and then moved to a specific discussion of Article 438 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code and the issues related to the applicability of international criminal law in light of its blanket provision concerning war crimes.
The presentation integrated insights from the Benchbook on the Adjudication of International Crimes in Ukraine, a resource crafted by Ukrainian judges, UpRights, and Global Rights Compliance in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Supreme Court, the National School of Judges of Ukraine and with the support of USAID and the Matra Project to aid judges in the interpretation and application of relevant domestic offenses.
On November 22nd, in a separate workshop, David Kinnecome, UpRights’ Senior Legal Advisor, joined Valérie and Asa for a workshop on comparative law organized by the USAID Justice for All Activity as part of the Inter-University Programme on International Criminal Law and Procedure for Ukrainian Law Schools (IUP-UA).
The workshop provided a platform for Ukrainian law faculties to engage in in-depth discussions on issues related to international criminal law as applied in Ukraine. The trio’s presentation covered a spectrum of topics, including the role of international law in adjudicating war crimes cases under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and they also explored aspects of in-absentia trials and the admission and assessment of digital evidence, drawing where relevant from the practice of international tribunals.
UpRights is pleased to support the organisations’ commitment to promoting knowledge-sharing in international justice. Read more about these visits here, about the IUP-UA Project here and read the Benchbook on the Adjudication of International Crimes.