Another lecture was held as part of the Educational Marathon for students of higher education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the speaker of which was the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar. The discourse on the topic “Actual issues of the criminal-legal qualification of aggressive war” was held at Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs.
The rector of DSUIA, police colonel Andrii Fomenko greeted the event participants. He thanked the leadership and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine for organizing and conducting such a large-scale event as an educational marathon, which is held as part of the “16 Days Against Violence” global campaign.
“I am sure that today’s event will ensure the formation of the legal outlook of our students, the understanding that reliable protection of citizens’ rights depends on each of them in the future. Holding an educational marathon is a step towards establishing the principles of a barrier-free environment in Ukrainian society, overcoming violence, and preventing stereotypes and prejudices caused by discrimination,” said Andrii Fomenko.
He emphasized the importance of the comprehensive cooperation of government representatives, scientists, educators, practitioners, and student-cadet youth in the search for optimal solutions in the prevention and counteraction of violence and wished those present a fruitful dialogue.
The Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar, made a detailed speech. She began her lecture with the definition of the concept of “war” at the international level, and listed those circumstances in Ukraine that can be attributed to the facts of war according to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 “Definition of aggression”. Among them are the crossing of Ukraine’s borders by foreign troops and the annexation of territories or their temporary occupation.
In her speech, she also listed the mechanisms available in the world to combat war crimes – these are both the norms of international law and sanctions. She noted that these tools and institutions are currently not working in Ukraine.
The deputy minister emphasized the need to identify and expand the range of subjects guilty of war crimes in order to bring them to international criminal responsibility.
“Regulating the issue of responsibility is one of the most important issues that must be asked urgently both at the national and international levels because only criminal liability by an international court can become an effective way to prevent and counteract wars in Ukraine in the future,” said Mrs. Hanna Maliar.
In more detail, the lecturer focused on the issue of documenting war crimes. In particular, she noted that the first witnesses are usually the military, however, they must, first of all, fulfill their primary functional duties – to fight the enemy and protect the borders.
“The first to enter the de-occupied territory mustn’t be civilians, but police officers. These are what we call stabilization agents. Collecting and documenting evidence at the national level is a matter for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and courts. Criminal responsibility is an important factor in countering collaboration and separatism. And this is the only way to give a legal assessment of war crimes in our time,” she said.
The Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Malyar, spoke in detail about security factors, emphasizing the need to create military alliances and build a powerful military and economically strong state. She also noted the need to continue to adhere to NATO standards, improve the professionalism of the Ukrainian army, and make management decisions efficiently and quickly. Among all other factors to prevent war in the future, the expert singled out the need to observe cultural identity.
“Our phenomenon is that all Ukraine’s security and defense forces are on the front lines, and this speaks of the strength of our state. Today we have the National Police, the National Guard, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Security Service, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine there. Such coordination, which is happening today in our state, did not exist before. The cohesion of law enforcement agencies that exists now is absolutely unprecedented, and it is one of the elements of a successful confrontation with an aggressor. After all, each power structure has its own specific knowledge and skills, and when they unite, it gives a powerful force”, – Mrs. Hanna Maliar is convinced.
In a lively dialogue with the audience, the lecturer covered other topical issues. Finally, she called on all the participants of the marathon not to be indifferent to the problems that arise in wartime conditions, because this is the business of every Ukrainian, and above all those who have chosen the path of standing on the guard of law and order.
We would like to remind you that for two weeks, representatives of state and international institutions gave lectures to cadets and students of higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine on the prevention of any violence in the modern world, respect for human rights, barrier-freeness and anti-discrimination, as well as specifics of activity agencies during the full-scale invasion of the russian federation on the territory of Ukraine.
The final stage of the marathon, which is dedicated to the global action “16 days against violence”, will take place on December 13. Speakers will be the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the European Court of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Marharyta Sokorenko.
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