On June 16, 2023, the CEELI Institute (Central and Eastern European Law Initiative Institute) organized a Rule of Law Symposium as part of 2023 Institute’s Annual Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.

Inna Liniova, CEO of the Ukrainian Bar Association, had the honor of moderating the first panel of the Symposium "International Accountability for Russia’s War against Ukraine." The speakers of the panel discussion were:

• Dr. Mark S. Ellis, CEELI Institute Chair and the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Executive Director;
• Martin Smolek, Director General for Legal and Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic;
• Alena Lunova, Advocacy Director, Human Rights Centre ZMINA.

The panelists discussed the following issues:

• Creation of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression — why is it important? Possible Tribunal models.
• The International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin — how will it affect the legacy of the ICC? Is there any difference between the situation in which Putin finds himself, and other heads of states prosecuted by the ICC?
• The role of national courts in Ukraine and their efforts to bring the guilty to justice. Challenges faced by Ukrainian courts when dealing with war crime cases. How can the efforts of NGOs and private actors help in the prosecution of crimes?
• Why has Ukraine not ratified the Rome Statute after 9 years of ongoing Russian armed aggression?
• How are the events in Ukraine changing the world, the United Nations, and international law?

The topic of the second panel of the Symposium was corruption risks during wartime and reconstruction, as well as steps being taken to ensure that Ukraine’s rebuilding will contribute to guarding against the risks of corruption.

The third panel discussion was devoted to Russian human rights lawyers who were forced to leave Russia, but continue to do their work: they are defending the rights of citizens, providing legal assistance to Ukrainians in Russia, and recently also prosecuting their government for the crimes being committed in Ukraine.

Summarizing the results of the Symposium, Inna Liniova emphasized that the absolute majority of lawyers are convinced of the need to respond to the crime of aggression, and the creation of the Special Tribunal is only a matter of time.

"The main question is on what model such a Tribunal will be established and when it will start functioning. The first steps have already been taken through the creation of the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine," said the UBA CEO.

At the same time, Inna Liniova stated that some people still consider the creation of the Tribunal an obstacle in the process of future negotiations. Therefore, in her opinion, the advocacy campaign and the explanation of the difference between politics and law remain relevant.

Photos from the CEELI Institute’s Facebook page