Ukrainian constitutional amendments related to judiciary officially published

June 29, the “Voice of Ukraine” governmental newspaper published the wording of the law on constitutional amendments related to judiciary.

Relevant amendments provide for:

– Reorganization of the High Council of Justice;

– Depriving the President of the right to establish courts; giving the Parliament powers to establish, abolish and reorganize the courts;

– Depriving the Parliament powers to appoint judges for indefinite term and to give consent to their arrest and detention with the transfer of powers to High Council of Justice;

– Depriving the Parliament, the President and the Congress of Judges right to dismiss judges of the Constitutional Court – the judge can be dismissed only by the decision of at least two thirds of the Constitutional Court judiciary.

In addition, the amendments provide for introduction of the institution of the constitutional complaint (complaint about contradiction of the law applied in the final judgment with the Basic Law if other domestic remedies are exhausted) and permission for the Constitutional Court to determine the constitutionality of issues proposed for submission to the all-Ukrainian referendum on people’s initiative (at request of President or at least 45 MPs).

June 2, Ukrainian lawmakers passed a new version of the law on judicial system and status of judges and adopted the constitutional amendments related to judiciary.  

The human rights activists and experts slammed the amendments, pointing out that they could become a tool to establish control over the judicial system.