From September 23 to 25, experts from our Association, Borys Babin and Anna Prykhodko, participated in the 10th Kharkiv International Legal Forum. They took part in panel discussions addressing topics such as “Current Issues Regarding Russia’s International Legal Liability for Aggression Against Ukraine,” “The Right to a Fair Trial Amidst Armed Conflict and Post-War Reconstruction,” “Food Security: The Legal Dimension of Post-War Reconstruction,” and “Ecocide as a Crime Against the Future: Global Challenges and the Ukrainian Experience.”
During discussions with other participants, the experts presented their findings on the legal aspects of countering the Russian occupation of Crimea. They outlined a vision for future engagement with international accountability mechanisms, specifically considering the Special Tribunal and the Register of Damage launched under the auspices of the Council of Europe, and proposed necessary, immediate organizational, managerial, and staffing measures.
In his address during the panel on food security, Professor Babin emphasized the need to strengthen the international response to the aggressor’s violations of the right to food in the occupied territories. He discussed the steps required to restore Ukrainian food exports as a component of global food security.
Particular attention was drawn to a specific aspect of Ukraine’s food security compromised by Russian aggression and the occupation of Crimea: oceanic fishing. The experts highlighted the issue of the international “fish mafia” controlled by Russian special services, a network whose reach our Association has systematically exposed, particularly within Ukrainian-controlled territory and in European Union countries.
In the discussion regarding efforts to counter ecocide and the issue of its classification under international law, Professor Babin endorsed the arguments put forward by Academician Igor Krainov; in his own remarks, he emphasized the need for more systematic and consistent communication between Ukrainian officials, law enforcement agencies, and the academic community, on the one hand, and the International Criminal Court and relevant UN bodies, on the other. The expert also presented a monograph on the subject, authored by experts from the ARC, that was published in The Hague earlier this year.
