Roundtable discussion on military justice system held in Kyiv
On November 22, 2024, a roundtable discussion was held in Kyiv, organized by the Ukrainian Bar Association Committee on Constitutional, Administrative Law, and Human Rights in cooperation with the UBA Committee on Military Law, Military Justice, and Veterans' Rights. The event, titled «Implementing a Military Justice System in Ukraine: Pro et Contra», brought together leading experts, legal practitioners, and representatives of the judicial and military systems.
The participants explored several key issues, including:
- Ukraine's path to EU and NATO integration: harmonization of judicial systems and the feasibility of establishing a military justice structure in Ukraine.
- The military justice system: military police, military prosecutors, military courts, and frameworks for providing specialized legal assistance to service members—are there viable alternatives?
- National mechanisms for ensuring impartial investigations and trials of military and war crimes, as well as mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of the Rome Statute.
- Military legal relations and military service—do lawyers need specific expertise in military law?
The event was opened by Mykola Stetsenko, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association and Managing Partner at AVELLUM.
The discussion was moderated by Dmytro Yevdokymov, Head of the UBA Kyiv Branch, Chair of the UBA Committee on Constitutional, Administrative Law, and Human Rights, and National Advisor for the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF).
The roundtable featured contributions from:
- Oleksii Muravov, Head of the Main Directorate of Military Justice, Lieutenant Colonel of Justice.
- Illia Kostin, UBA Board Member, Commissioner for the Implementation of Military Police at the Ministry of Defense, Senior Lieutenant of Justice.
- Representatives of the Supreme Court.