On May 21, 2024, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives participated in the round table on “Military justice: Canada’s experience and possible options for regulation in Ukraine“, organised by the Committee on Law Enforcement Activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The event was attended by the head of the Law Enforcement Committee, Sergii Ionushas, Representative of the President of Ukraine to the VRU/Deputy Head of the Committee Galyna Mykhailiuk, Deputy Heads of the Committee Maksym Pavliuk and Hryhorii Mamka, Subcommittee Chairmen Oleksandr Danutsa and Vladlen Neklyudov, Committee member Volodymyr Zakharchenko, Canadian experts on military justice — Ms Robyn Hynes, Director General of Operations, Office of the DND/CAF Ombudsman, and Colonel Todd Murphy, Deputy Commander, Office of the Canadian Armed Forces. The roundtable was also attended by representatives of the Parliamentary Accountability of the Security Sector in Ukraine (PASS Ukraine) project, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the State Bureau of Investigation.
The issue of the functioning of the military justice system in Ukraine has become particularly acute since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. After all, creating a clear and fair legal mechanism designed to perform the law enforcement function in military formations and the function of justice for military personnel is one of the important components of the combat capability of the state’s armed forces. That is why studying the experience of Ukraine’s strategic partners and updating the relevant legislation is a priority in this area.
During the panel discussions, the participants discussed the following themes:
- Overview of the Canadian military police system.
- Powers and functions of the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman.
- Canada’s experience in respecting the rights of servicemen and women when they are brought to justice.
- Problems of functioning of military justice in Ukraine.
- Problems of creating new bodies of the military justice system and military courts.
In addition, the event featured a presentation of the Green Book on Military Justice in Ukraine, which was prepared by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives in cooperation with the Parliamentary Centre (Canada) as part of the PASS Ukraine project and with the support of Global Affairs Canada under the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs).
The web version of the document will soon be available on the ALI website.
