fight against impunity in ukraine

7/24/2019 Fight Against Impunity in Ukraine

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FIDH, Center for Civil Liberties, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, !vocac"

!visor" Panel

#oint situation note

Fight against impunit" in $kraine

%ovember &'()

FIDH, in partnership with its Ukrainian partner organisations, Center for Civil Liberties, Kharkiv

Human Rights Protetion !roup an" #"voa$ #"visor$ Panel, present a %oint situation note&

whih sums up main hallenges to the fight against impunit$ i"entifie" b$ our organisations as well

as ke$ reommen"ations regar"ing the wa$ to a""ress them'

*ain fin!ings

# limate of impunit$ still reigns in Ukraine regar"ing grave violations of international

humanitarian law an" human rights law ommitte" "uring the (ai"an events, in )"esa in (a$

*+&, in Crimea sine -ovember *+&. an" most massivel$ in /astern Ukraine' 0ome isolate"

ases have been investigate" an" brought to trial, an" there are ver$ rare pree"ents of vitims

having reeive" ompensation for ph$sial an" moral "amage ause" to them' However Ukrainian

national authorities have no s$stemati approah to the investigation an" proseution of perpetrators

of these grave violations' -or is there an$ omprehensive approah to reparations for vitims of this

onflit'

Ukrainian ivil soiet$ an" vitims1 law$ers "enoune the lack of political +ill to investigate an"

proseute rimes ommitte" in Ukraine' It is "emonstrate" in man$ "ifferent aspets, inlu"ing

unreasonable "ela$s in taking investigative ations following omplaints, "iffiulties of law$ers of

vitims to aess the ase files, lak of aess to ertain rime sites even if un"er ontrol of

Ukrainian authorities 2suh as for instane the base of battalion 1#3ov1 attahe" to the (inistr$ of

Interior4, relutane to investigate rimes ommitte" b$ the Ukrainian si"e an" omplete absene of

investigation of se5ual an" gen"er6base" rimes' 7he fat that persons allege"l$ responsible for

violations ommitte" "uring the (ai"an events still hol" high6ranking positions in publi offie is

&International mission on"ute" b$ FIDH from *+ to * )tober *+&8, inlu"e" a two6"a$ FIDH seminar for law$ers

representing vitims of the (ai"an events an" the ongoing onflit, as well as meetings with ivil soiet$ an" national

authorities to "isuss the pursuit of %ustie an" to all for greater fight against impunit$ in the ountr$'


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of partiular onern' Persons suspete" of being "iretl$ responsible for rimes have

s$stematiall$ fle" the ountr$' 0ome of them manage" to flee while being sub%et of an offiial

investigation or after the$ have been arreste"' Finall$, orruption ontinues to un"ermine the

on"ut of genuine investigations in Ukraine'

0eon", our organisations note the problemati fragmentation of on6going investigations an" the

lak of oor"ination between the various investigative bo"ies' # speialise" unit for 9rimes against

peae, seurit$ of humanit$ an" international rule of law: has reentl$ been reate" within

Ukrainian militar$ proseution, however its man"ate is limite" to rimes against national seurit$,

thus in pratie ommitte" b$ Russian militar$ offiers in the s'' DPR;LPR ontrolle" territories'

#lso, investigators within the (inistr$ of Interior are in harge of investigating rimes allege"l$

ommitte" b$ offiers of this ver$ same (inistr$' It appears furthermore that investigative bo"ies terrorist ats>, following the offiial =ualifiation

of the Ukrainian militar$ operation as an >anti6terrorist operation>' 7here are however reasons to

believe that rimes ommitte" in /astern Ukraine not onl$ onstitute grave violations of human

rights law an" serious violations of international humanitarian law, but oul" also =ualif$ as rimes

against humanit$ an";or war rimes, as "efine" un"er the Rome 0tatute*')ur organisations stress

the importane of =ualif$ing violations in Ukraine as rimes un"er international law sine suh

=ualifiation reflets the nature an" the sale of on6going rimes ommitte" sine the beginning of

the onflit'

-otwithstan"ing pratial hallenges relate" to the lak of aess to territories in the /ast of

Ukraine an" in Crimea an" the apait$ limitations of Ukrainian investigative teams, the nee" to

improve the effiien$ of national investigations an" to a"opt a omprehensive approah onsistent

with international law annot be overemphasi3e"'

International !visor" Panel conclusions

)ur organisations1 onlusions eho the fin"ings of utmost importane "elivere" b$ the

International #"visor$ Panel.onstitute" b$ the 0eretar$ !eneral of the Counil of /urope in #pril

* #s "evelope" in FIDH;CCL %oint report publishe" in )tober *+&8 ? @ /astern Ukraine? Civilians aught in the

rossfire A, available at ?https?;;www'fi"h'org;I(!;p"f;easternBukraine6l"'p"f

. 0ee http?;;www'oe'int;en;web;portal;international6a"visor$6panel
https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdfhttps://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdfhttps://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdfhttps://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdf


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*+&' 7he Panel was initiall$ man"ate" to e5amine whether the investigation into (ai"an violene

met the re=uirements of the /uropean Convention on Human Rights an" the ase6law of the

/uropean Court' In 0eptember *+&, its man"ate was e5ten"e" to assess the investigations of

violene in )"esa on * (a$ *+&'

In its report publishe" on .& (arh *+&8, the International #"visor$ Panel foun" that

investigations into the violent ini"ents whih took plae "uring the (ai"an "emonstrations from

.+ -ovember *+&. to *& Februar$ *+& have faile" to satisf$ the re=uirements of the /uropean

Convention of Human Rights 2/CHR4' 0imilar onlusions on the non6onformit$ with the /CHR

were ma"e with respet to the investigations into the events in )"esa'

7he Panel foun" that "uring the three months of the (ai"an "emonstrations, 9there was no genuine

attempt to pursue investigations: whih hene "i" not begin promptl$ an" pose" substantial

hallenges for the subse=uent phase of investigations' 7hese hallenges, however, annot be

onsi"ere" as an e5use for failings suh as the lak of pratial in"epen"ene an" ineffiien$'

Ineffiien$ was the result of ina"e=uate resoures, ineffiient work alloation an" a lak ofontinuit$ in the lea"ership of the Proseutor !eneral )ffie' (oreover, the Panel un"erline" that

the lak of ooperation on the part of the (inistr$ of Interior an" the 0tate 0eurit$ 0ervie ha" a

negative impat, as illustrate" b$ the e5ample of the investigation on the erkut offiers1

involvement in rimes'

7he Panel also a"vise" against the granting of amnesties or par"ons to law enforement offiers in

relation to unlawful killings or ill6treatment, an" onlu"e" that a oor"inate" ommuniation

poli$ has not been put in plae to ensure a"e=uate publi srutin$ of investigations' #s a result,

substantial progress ha" not been ma"e in the (ai"an investigations'

In )"esa, the Ukrainian authorities initiate" three investigations with respet to the lashes an" the

fire in the 7ra"e Union uil"ing that resulte" in "eaths an" several hun"re"s in%ure"' 7he first

overs the on"ut of the polie on * (a$ *+& an" the release of "etainees on (a$ *+& after

protesters attake" a loal polie station' 7he seon" investigation fouses on the mass "isor"er an"

the fire in the 7ra"e Union uil"ing on * (a$ *+&' 7he thir" investigates the on"ut of the 0tate

/mergen$ 0ervie 20/04 staff "uring the fire' In its report8publishe" on -ovember *+&8, the

International #"visor$ Panel foun" that the last two investigations lake" institutional an" pratial

in"epen"ene' !iven the evi"ene in"iative of polie ompliit$ in the mass "isor"er on * (a$

*+& an" the hierarhial relationship between the 0/0 an" the (inistr$ of the Interior 2(oI4, theinvestigations as a whole shoul" have been arrie" b$ an institution in"epen"ent from the (oI'

7he Panel further onsi"ere" that the investigations were ineffetive "ue to ineffiient work "ivision

an" ina"e=uate alloate" resoures' 7he =ualit$ of the investigation was "efiient? the authorities

faile" to show suffiient thoroughness an" "iligene as illustrate" b$ the investigation of the late

arrival of fire6fighters to the 7ra"e Union uil"ing' Until Deember *+&, no efforts were ma"e to

investigate the ini"ent'

Report of the International #"visor$ Panel on its review of the (ai"an Investigations' .& (arh *+&8https?;;rm'oe'int;Co/R(PubliCommon0earh0ervies;Displa$DC7(ContentE"oumentI"+G++++&+8&b8 Reportof the International #"visor$ Panelon its review of the investigations into the tragi events in )"esa of (a$

*+&, -ovember *+&8, https?;;rm'oe'int;Co/R(PubliCommon0earh0ervies;Displa$DC7(ContentE"oumentI"+G++++&+8&b
http://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168048851bhttp://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168048851bhttp://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/international-advisory-panelhttp://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168048851bhttp://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/international-advisory-panel


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#si"e from the flaws "uring the investigation phase, serious onerns were raise" with respet to

the proseution an" trial of suspets' For e5ample, "eisions to terminate proee"ings on the

groun"s of lak of evi"ene, repeate" reusals of %u"ges, olletive in"itment without in"ivi"ual

harges ha" ha" an a"verse impat on the proee"ings'

#s for the publi srutin$ of the investigations, the Panel aknowle"ge" the promptness of

information provi"e" b$ the authorities to the publi' However, lak of onsisten$, evenness an"

regularit$ of the information provi"e" to the vitims an" ne5t6of6kin was highlighte" among the

shortomings'

#s a result of these investigative "efiienies, the Panel onlu"e" that substantial progress ha" not

been ma"e in the investigations into the violent events in (ai"an an" )"esa an" that the authorities

faile" to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the investigations ompl$ with #rtile * 2Right to

life4 an" #rtile . 2Prohibition of torture an" inhuman an" "egra"ing treatment4 of the Convention'

-tension of the International Criminal Court .ICC/ 0uris!iction an! the ratification of the

ICC 1tatute

)ur organisations hope the reent e5tension of the ICC1s %uris"ition over the entire perio" of

onflit in Ukraine will lea" to the opening of an investigation b$ the Court into the situation, an"

we welome Ukrainian authorities an" ivil soiet$1s ommitment to ooperate with the ICC )ffie

of the Proseutor'

However we regret that the Constitutional amen"ment bill neessar$ to failitate the ratifiation of

the ICC 0tatute also inlu"es amen"ments on other non6relate" an" highl$ ontroversial issues' 7his

puts the a"option of the entire bill at risk an" therefore en"angers the possibilit$ of ratif$ing the

Rome 0tatute in "ue ourse, "espite an apparent onsensus on the matter in Ukraine' 7he )ffie of

the Presi"en$ an" the Parliament shoul" separate the issue of amen"ments to the Constitution

allowing for the ratifiation of the Rome 0tatute from other issues un"er "ebate in or"er to ensure a

smooth an" effiient proe"ure towar"s beoming a 0tate part$ to the ICC'

Finall$, our organisations observe the "istrust of Ukrainians towar"s their %u"iiar$ an" the re=uest

b$ Ukrainian law$ers for an international support mehanism of some sort for the investigation an"

proseution of the most serious rimes in Ukraine' 7his t$pe of international support to reme"$ the

ineffiien$ of national proee"ings might take various forms, inter alia the inlusion ofinternational investigators within national teams, the reation of a national in"epen"ent bo"$

supporte" b$ international staff, the intervention of an international ommission of in=uir$, or the

establishment of a h$bri" tribunal' )ur organisations all for a omprehensive "ebate on the

appropriateness an" effiien$ of eah of the possible mehanism' 7he "ebate shoul" take a form of

onsultations with national authorities, vitims an" affete" ommunities, law$ers, ivil soiet$ an"

other stakehol"ers'


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Recommen!ations

)ur organisations reiterate the reommen"ations to the international ommunit$, an" notabl$ the

/U, Russia an" the ICC,

provi"e" in the %ointFIDH an" CCL reportEastern Ukraine, Civilians

Caught in the Crossfire. /mphasi3ing the responsibilit$ of Ukraine to ensure that the investigations

ompl$ with the international law, the following reommen"ations are a""resse" to the national

authorities as a result of the a"voa$ mission?

Reiterate their politial ommitment to investigate an" proseute violations of international

humanitarian an" human rights law in Ukraine

Provi"e a"e=uate resoures to national investigative bo"ies an" ensure oor"ination among

them

Improve polie enforement, espeiall$ with regar"s to preventing fleeing of suspets

outsi"e of the ountr$,

#"opt a omprehensive investigative approah onsistent with =ualifiation of rimes un"er

international law, an" inlu"e the investigation of se5ual an" gen"er6base" rimes

#"opt the Constitutional amen"ment bill allowing for the ratifiation of the Rome 0tatute

an" ratif$ it without "ela$

)pen the "ebate on the eventual international %u"iiar$ support mehanism to fill the gap in

the absene of genuine national investigations an" proseutions'

FIDH6CCL' @/astern Ukraine? Civilians aught in the rossfireA, )tober *+&8, available at ?

https?;;www'fi"h'org;I(!;p"f;easternBukraine6l"'p"f
https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdfhttps://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/eastern_ukraine-ld.pdf

fight against impunity in ukraine

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