Vol. 13 No. 77 (2024)
Articles

The ICC jurisdiction in Ukraine: challenges and opportunities in the fight against impunity

PDF HTML
  • Andrii Lankevych,
  • Oleh Zaverukha,
  • Rostyslav Sopilnyk,
  • Oleksandr Havrylenko,
  • Olha Podilchak
Andrii Lankevych
Lviv University of Business and Law, Ukraine.
Bio
Oleh Zaverukha
Lviv University of Business and Law, Ukraine.
Bio
Rostyslav Sopilnyk
Institution of Higher Education “Lviv University of Business and Law”, Ukraine.
Bio
Oleksandr Havrylenko
V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine.
Bio
Olha Podilchak
State University of Trade and Economics, Ukraine.
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.77.05.20

Published 2024-05-30

Keywords

  • international law, human rights, war crimes, genocide, international responsibility, international sanctions.

How to Cite

Lankevych, A., Zaverukha, O., Sopilnyk, R., Havrylenko, O., & Podilchak, O. (2024). The ICC jurisdiction in Ukraine: challenges and opportunities in the fight against impunity. Amazonia Investiga, 13(77), 270–279. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.77.05.20

Copyright (c) 2024 Amazonia Investiga

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article examines the legal relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Ukraine, a non-party to the Rome Statute, focusing on the scope of the Court's jurisdiction to consider Ukraine's referrals regarding serious crimes committed on its territory since 2014. Discussions regarding the extension of the ICC's jurisdiction over Ukraine commenced in 2014-2015 following Ukraine's two requests for recognition of the ICC's ad hoc jurisdiction. Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, the ICC consolidated these proceedings with the ongoing investigation of crimes committed in Ukraine since 2014. This article analyzes how the ICC's jurisdiction applies to Ukraine, the challenges and prospects for cooperation between the ICC and Ukraine in investigating crimes committed by Russian forces, and the broader implications for the international criminal justice system. The authors analyze arguments for and against Ukraine's ratification of the Rome Statute, concluding that the ICC's jurisdictional framework, particularly concerning the crime of aggression, requires refinement.

PDF HTML

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

  1. Ali Al Omar, B.A., & Allwan Al Amery, A.S. (2024). The challenges of filling cases to the international criminal court. Randwick International of Social Science Journal, 5(1), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.47175/rissj.v5i1.897
  2. Black, H. C. (1968). Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd Ed. West publishing CO. URL: https://heimatundrecht.de/sites/default/files/dokumente/Black%27sLaw4th.pdf
  3. Bytyak, Y., Yakovyuk, I., Tragniuk, O., Komarova, T., & Shestopal, S. (2017). The State sovereignty and sovereign rights: the correlation problem. Man In India, 97(23), 577-588.
  4. Congressional Research Service (2023). The role of international tribunals in the response to the invasion of Ukraine. URL: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10704 Accessed: 24 Apr. 2024.
  5. Dannenbaum, T. (2022). A special tribunal for the crime of aggression? Journal of International Criminal Justice, 20(4), 859-873. https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqac047
  6. Dervi̇ş, L. (2023). Transformation of geopolitical perceptions in the Russian-Ukrainian war: impact on regional relations in the future. Futurity of Social Sciences, 1(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.57125/FS.2023.03.20.02
  7. Drozdov, O.M., Drozdova, O.V., Karpenko, M.O., & Zuev, V.V. (2022). Cooperation with an International Criminal Court: organizational, jurisdictional and criminal procedure aspects. Juridical Scientific and Electronic Journal, 8, 484-492. http://lsej.org.ua/8_2022/110.pdf
  8. European Court of Human Rights (1950). European Convention on Human Rights. URL: https://www.echr.coe.int/european-convention-on-human-rights
  9. Geng, Z. (2023). An exploration of selective justice in the International Criminal Court. SHS Web of Conferences, 178, 02019. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202317802019
  10. Gennadievich Danilyan, O., Petrovich Dzeban, A., Yurievich Kalinovsky, Y., Anatolievich Kalnytskyi, E., & Borisovna Zhdanenko, S. (2018). Personal information rights and freedoms within the modern society. Informatologia, 51(1-2), 24-33. https://doi.org/10.32914/i.51.1-2.3
  11. Grzebyk, P. (2023). Crime of aggression against Ukraine. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 21(3), 435-459. https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqad035
  12. Gutnyk, V. (2023). The development of international criminal justice: Expectations and reality. Right, 126, 101-115. https://doi.org/10.15388/Teise.2023.126.7
  13. Gutnyk, V.V. (2024). The international criminal court: Current problems and ways of their solution. Uzhhorod National University Herald. Series: Law, 3(81), 251-257, https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2024.81.3.37
  14. Heller, K.J. (2024). Options for prosecuting Russian aggression against Ukraine: A critical analysis. Journal of Genocide Research, 26(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2022.2095094
  15. International Criminal Court (2022). Situation in Ukraine ICC-01/22. Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/situations/ukraine
  16. International Court of Justice. (1945). Statute of the International Court of Justice. https://www.icj-cij.org/statute#CHAPTER_II
  17. Kaplina, O. (2022). Prisoner of war: special status in the criminal proceedings of Ukraine and the right to exchange. Access to Justice in Eastern Europe, 4-2(17), 8-24. https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-5.4-a000438
  18. Kovaliuk, T., Kobets, N., Ivashchenko, D., & Kushnarov, V. (2020). Environmental monitoring and population protection from environmental factors. In Information Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction: 4th IFIP TC 5 DCITDRR International Conference, ITDRR 2019, Kyiv, Ukraine, October 9-10, 2019, Revised Selected Papers 4 (pp. 55-66). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48939-7_6
  19. Kress, C., Hobe, S., & Nußberger, A. (2023). The Ukraine war and the crime of aggression: How to fill the gaps in the international legal system. Just Security. https://acortar.link/Mn0YbB
  20. Kumar, A. (2021). Analysis of the principle of subsidiarity as a principle of EU law: Future perspectives. Futurity Economics&Law, 1(4), 18.27. https://doi.org/10.57125/FEL.2021.12.25.03
  21. Lanza, G. (2022). The fundamental role of international (criminal) law in the war in Ukraine. Orbis, 66(3), 424-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2022.05.010
  22. Maraieva, U. (2022). On the formation of a new information worldview of the future (literature review). Futurity Philosophy, 1(1), 18-29. https://doi.org/10.57125/FP.2022.03.30.02
  23. Marchuk, I. (2021). Ukraine and the international criminal court: implications of the ad hoc jurisdiction acceptance and beyond. Vanderbilt Law Review, 49, 323. https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol49/iss2/2
  24. Marchuk, I., & Wanigasuriya, A. (2022). The ICC and the Russia-Ukraine war. American Society of International Law, 26(4). https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/26/issue/4
  25. Matkovskyi, А.А. (2023). The problem of execution of judgments of the International Criminal Court by Ukraine. Law and Society, 3, 380-389. http://pravoisuspilstvo.org.ua/archive/2023/3_2023/57.pdf
  26. Mcdougall, C. (2023). The imperative of prosecuting crimes of aggression committed against Ukraine. Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 28(2), 203-230. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcsl/krad004
  27. Moreno Ocampo, L. (2023). Ending selective justice for the international crime of aggression. Just Security. https://acortar.link/VSHZ2A/
  28. Murachov, R. (2023). Peculiarities of interaction between Ukraine and the international criminal court: Legal aspects. Analytical and Comparative Jurisprudence, 5, 654-658. https://doi.org/10.24144/2788-6018.2023.05.115
  29. Pavlenko, I.V., & Ohievich, S.M. (2020). Peculiarities of international jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court on human crimes: theoretical-legal aspect. Scientific Notes of Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky University, 3(2), 207-212. https://doi.org/10.32838/2707-0581/2020.2-3/33
  30. Rynkun-Werner, R., Kozicki, B., Zelkowski, J., & Krzew, D. (2023). Jurisdiction of the international criminal court in the Hague and war crimes in Ukraine in the face of security. Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues, 13(1), 325-336. https://doi.org/10.47459/jssi.2023.13.34
  31. Schüller, A. (2023). What can(’t) international criminal justice deliver for Ukraine? Verfassungsblog. https://verfassungsblog.de/justice-ukraine/
  32. Shumilo, O. M. (2021). Prospects of determining the International Criminal Court jurisdiction regarding ecocide. Actual Problems of Native Jurisprudence, 5(5), 106-112. https://doi.org/10.15421/392207
  33. Smyrnov, M.I. (2023). Conceptual issues of ratification of the Rome statute of international criminal court and Ukraine’s cooperation with international criminal court in the context of Russian’s military aggression against Ukraine. Juridical Scientific and Electronic Journal, 1, 542-546. http://lsej.org.ua/1_2023/125.pdf
  34. Smyrnov, M. I. (2022). Prospects and legal consequences of Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in the context of Russian’s military aggression against Ukraine. Juris Europensis Scientia, 6, 98-102. http://jes.nuoua.od.ua/archive/6_2022/19.pdf
  35. Syroid, T.L. (2009a). Legal standards and role of the prosecutor in international criminal trials. Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. https://acortar.link/fSfGFX
  36. Syroid, T.L. (2009b). Procedure for recognizing individuals as victims in international criminal proceedings. Newsletter of the Academy of Mine Service of Ukraine. Series: “Law”, 2(3). https://biblio.umsf.dp.ua/jspui/bitstream/123456789/3376/1/vamsup_2009_2_29.pdf
  37. Udzhmadzhuridze, H., Bilan, S., & Kryvoshein, V. (2019). Individual significance of political participation in today’s Ukrainian society: The case of Dnipro city. Economics & Sociology, 12(1), 193-207. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-789X.2019/12-1/11
  38. United Nations (1998). Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. United Nations Treaty Collection. https://acortar.link/tNIxUE
  39. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (1996). Constitution of Ukraine. Official website of the Parliament of Ukraine. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/en/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80#Text
  40. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2012). Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/en/4651-17#Text
  41. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2001). Constitutional Court of Ukraine Conclusion in the case on the constitutional submission of the President of Ukraine on the provision of an opinion on the compliance of the Constitution of Ukraine with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (the case of the Rome Statute). URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/v003v710-01
  42. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2014). Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. To the International Criminal Court on recognition by Ukraine of the jurisdiction of the international criminal court to commit crimes against humanity by senior officials of the state, which led to particularly serious consequences and the mass murder of Ukrainian citizens during peaceful protests at November 21, 2013 to February 22, 2014. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/790-18#Text
  43. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2015). Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "On recognition by Ukraine of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity and war crimes by senior officials of the Russian Federation and leaders of terrorist organizations "DPR" and "LPR" which led to particularly serious consequences and mass murder of Ukrainian citizens." https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/145-19#Text