On September 16, experts from our Association, Anna Prykhodko and Borys Babin, participated in the event “Holding the Aggressor Accountable and Restoring Justice for Ukraine: Current Status and Next Steps,” organized in Kyiv by the International Renaissance Foundation.
The event addressed the current status of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the Register of Damage for Ukraine caused by the Russian Federation’s aggression. The situation was comprehensively presented by both human rights defenders and former Ukrainian officials who had recently left their posts in relevant government bodies.
In his remarks, Professor Babin emphasized that following the May 15 announcement, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, of the Enlarged Partial Agreement regarding the Special Tribunal, the future format of this body is essentially a settled matter; therefore, launching the necessary organizational procedures requires specific attention and support.
At the same time, the situation now demands urgent organizational and political action, given that the high-ranking Ukrainian officials who played a key role in lobbying for the chosen political model of the register and tribunal have been dismissed amidst corruption allegations.
The Association’s expert emphasized that the key Ukrainian civil society structures and academicians, who for the past four years have publicly, widely, and systematically supported the model for the Register and Special Tribunal chosen by certain Ukrainian officials, while completely ignoring relevant criticism and alternative views, and have also systematically backed those officials in their lobbying efforts, bear at least a significant share of political and moral responsibility for the current situation and must play a substantial role in improving it.
In this context, Professor Babin specifically discussed with human rights defenders and the expert community the role and place of the International Crimea Platform and Crimean Tatar organizations in the ongoing work to launch the Special Tribunal; our Association will continue its activities in this area.
