On March 4, 2016 a round table discussion “Strengthening of trust to the judiciary in cases of corruption crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity through involving foreign judges, prosecutors, and investigators: international experience and perspectives for Ukraine” will be held at the initiative of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Reanimation Package of Reforms, the platform “Human Rights Agenda”, and the Open Society Justice Initiative.
The National Anticorruption Bureau and the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecution have been set up in Ukraine, but what will happen to their cases once they are turned over to court trusted by mere 5-8% of the citizens? What will happen to the case of MH17, investigated by an international team, given that Russia has blocked a setup of the international tribunal for its consideration? How can one solicit trust of the public and the international community during the consideration of high-profile criminal cases with regard to corruption crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity? Which kind of court will be trusted and under which conditions? How were similar issues settled by the countries with the mistrust in the judiciary?
We would like to invite you to take part in the professional discussion of these issues.
Leading world-class international experts with unique experience will participate in this event, such as:
Carlos Castresana – served as the first commissioner at the United Nations-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) from 2007 to 2010, former judge and criminal prosecutor in Spain, including positions as the public prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Spain, and within special prosecution units on corruption and drug trafficking, head of the criminal law department of the Ejaso law firm in Madrid;
Isabel Reig –deputy head of the criminal law department of the Ejaso law firm in Madrid, and has worked on the development of specialized prosecution offices for human rights abuses in Mexico and Bahrain;
Eric Witte – senior project manager for the National Trials of Grave Crimes project at the Open Society Justice Initiative. He previously served as external relations advisor to the president of the International Criminal Court and as political advisor to the chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone;
Christian De Vos – advocacy officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative, where he has focused on national-level implementation of human rights judgments. He wrote his PhD on national proceedings for international crimes.
Ukrainian experts in corruption counteraction, justice, and human rights, members of civil society, MPs, representatives of the President’s Administration, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, prosecutor’s office, the National Anticorruption Bureau, the Security Service of Ukraine, the diplomatic missions of foreign countries, and international organizations have also been invited to take part in the discussion.
Address: Radisson Blu Hotel, 22 Yaroslaviv Val, Kyiv. The event starts at 9:30 am with the registration of participants and welcome coffee and finishes at 2 pm.
Please confirm your participation by 5 pm, February 26, 2016, by completing the form: https://goo.gl/HDAg7P. The number of places is limited! Invitations will be sent to the first forty persons, who has applied and completed the form.
