You are warmly invited to our guest webinar with Dr Kateryna Busol (Fellow, Chatham House) to discuss the international and domestic legal steps Ukraine has taken in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Abstract
The invasion and occupation by Russia of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula since 2014 and the Russia-supported separatist hostilities in the east of the country have resulted in 13,000 deaths, 1.5 million internally displaced persons, and mass human rights abuses. The alleged violations of international law in Crimea and eastern Ukraine differ. Crimea has become notorious for the politically-motivated persecution of ethnic Ukrainians and Muslim Crimean Tatars, Ukraine’s indigenous people of the peninsula, for their opposition to the occupation. The connected allegations of torture, inhuman treatment, enforced disappearances, unlawful detentions and sham trials have followed. The Russian occupying authorities also enforce a policy of mass naturalisation and appropriation of public and private property in Crimea. Given the ongoing hostilities, the crimes perpetrated in eastern Ukraine include indiscriminate shelling, attacks on protected objects, and sexual and gender-based violence.
Ukraine is struggling in its efforts to hold Russia accountable – either as a state or through individual criminal responsibility – as it cannot unilaterally ask any international court to give an overall judgment on the conflict. Instead, it has appealed to a variety of courts and arbitral tribunals, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. At the same time, Ukraine has embarked on an unprecedented journey of domestic legislative and institutional reforms – both to enhance its international adjudication efforts and, more importantly, to make justice at home possible. The seminar will assess Ukraine’s international lawfare strategy and its domestic backing. It will also pay separate attention to the violations against cultural property, which turned out to be particularly challenging for investigation and prosecution in Ukraine.
Speaker’s Bio
Dr Kateryna Busol is a fellow of Chatham House, researching the viable options for Ukraine’s transitional justice policy. She is a Ukrainian lawyer specialising in international human rights, humanitarian and criminal law. After a brief period of corporate work for KPMG and Clifford Chance and with the outbreak of armed conflicts in Ukraine, Kateryna resumed her practice in public international law. She consulted the Ukrainian side on the Scythian Gold case. In 2015-2019 Kateryna worked for Global Rights Compliance (GRC). Within GRC, she consulted Ukrainian state actors and NGOs on the best practices of investigating and prosecuting international crimes and on the cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC). Previously, Kateryna was a fellow at the Kennan Institute and a Visiting Professional at the ICC.
This interesting event will happen virtually, on Zoom platform on Wednesday 27 May at 3pm.
Please register your interest on Eventbrite*, clicking on the link below:
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Thank you!
GCILS Team