Statement of The Human Rights Agenda platform regarding the expiration of a three-year postponement period of the Rome Statute ratification

On June 30, 2019 three-year postponement period of the entry into force of new constitutional provisions, which pave the way for ratification of the Rome Statute, expired. Thus, today, the question of Ukraine becoming a full fledged member of the  International Criminal Court depends solely on the will of the Ukrainian parliament.

Various myths exist around the ratification of the Rome Statute. Therefore, we remind that the International Criminal Court already has its jurisdiction in the territory of Ukraine, according to two declarations submitted by the parliament. The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC is already examining the materials related to the Euromaidan events, as well as Russian armed aggression in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Therefore, Ukraine is already obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Court. The country does not, however, enjoy the rights of member states (in particular, to elect judges, to participate in the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, to resolve strategic issues of the court, etc.).

The ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is stipulated in Article 8 of the Association Agreement with the European Union and is therefore an international legal obligation of Ukraine. For our country, the ratification of the Rome Statute is not just a fulfillment of the requirements of the Association Agreement, but rather the only opportunity to conduct an investigation in the temporarily occupied territories and bring the war criminals to justice in the international justice system.

Human rights organizations hereby address all political forces participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections and ask that they do everything in their power to make sure that Ukraine ratifies the Rome State and becomes a full fledged member of the International Criminal Court in the nearest future.  

The Human Rights Agenda” platform is an informal coalition of human rights organizations dealing with solving systemic problems of law and practice for the protection of fundamental human rights. Participants of the Platform are the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Center for Civil Liberties, Amnesty International in Ukraine, Human Rights Information Center ZMINA, the Center for Law Enforcement Studies, the Project “No Borders”, Euromaidan SOS and others. Center for Civil Liberties is responsible for coordinating the work of the platform. Contacts: human.rights.agenda.ua@gmail.com

Center for Civil Liberties 

Human Rights Information Center ZMINA

Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group 

Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union

Luhansk Oblast Human Rights Protection Center ”Alternative”

The Open Dialogue Foundation 

Eastern-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives

NGO Young Cherkashchyna

NGO “Vybir” (Choice)

NGO Association of farmers and private landowners of Zin’kivshchyna

NGO Union of Rural Women of Ukraine

Kharkiv Regional Foundation Public Alternative

Regional Human Right Center

Human Rights Vector NGO

NGO “Porad z vamy” (Next to you) 

Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group

Center “Social Action”  

NGO Alliance of Ukrainian Unity