The Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA), the UBA Human Rights Institute, the International Bar Association (IBA), the IBA Human Rights Institute, in cooperation with the EU Project “Pravo-Justice”, invite you to the presentation of the report on the results of Phase 3 of the project “Monitoring Court Proceedings and Analyzing Court Decisions in War Crimes Cases (under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)”.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression, the issue of accountability for war crimes has become especially significant for victims, society, and the state. The quality and transparency of justice in these cases determine both public trust in the judicial system and Ukraine’s international reputation as a rule-of-law state.

The project, launched in July 2023, has been monitoring hearings and analyzing court decisions in criminal proceedings under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

During the first two phases, more than 600 court hearings in 10 regions of Ukraine were monitored, and dozens of judgments and rulings analyzed. Both positive trends—such as improvement in the quality of court decisions—and systemic challenges were identified, including the effectiveness of the right to defense in in absentia proceedings, proper notification of defendants, and staffing shortages in courts.

Phase 3 covers the period from 1 November 2024 to 30 June 2025. Until 27 January 2025, the project was implemented with support from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within the “Justice for All” Program. After a two-month break in February–March 2025, the activities were resumed with the support of the EU Project “Pravo-Justice,” implemented by Expertise France.

The presentation will serve as a platform to discuss the key findings of the monitoring, hear comments from experts and state authorities, and develop joint recommendations for further improvement of the handling of war crimes cases.

Working languages: Ukrainian and English (simultaneous interpretation provided).

Draft Agenda*

13:30–14:00 — Registration of participants. Welcome coffee

14:00–14:30 — Panel 1. The importance of monitoring court hearings in light of Ukraine’s commitments to international partners

14:30–15:00 — Panel 2. Approaches to the methodology of monitoring court hearings

15:00–15:30 — Coffee break

15:30–16:30 — Presentation of the report and Q&A session

16:30–17:30 — Panel 3. Practical application of the report’s recommendations and strengthening the effectiveness of criminal justice institutions

17:30 — Networking

Organizers reserve the right to amend the program. The list of speakers will be announced shortly.

Participation is free of charge, prior registration is required. The organizers reserve the right to close registration once the maximum number of offline participants is reached.

For further information, please contact Kateryna Pyshchyk at +38 (096) 742-71-07 or via e-mail: kpyshchyk@uba.ua.