Ukraine’s authorities want to delay Rome Statute ratification for three years

On the eve of the International Human Rights Day, the Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and Justice refused to include the bill No.1788, providing for the accession of Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in the agenda of the Parliament.

This is stated in the conclusion of the Committee, published on the website of the Parliament.

According to the Committee, the ratification of the Rome Statute is regulated by the draft law on the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding justice).

“The bill suggests amending Article 124 of the Constitution of Ukraine to include the provision that Ukraine may recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC under the conditions specified by the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Committee members noted that implementation of the provisions of the bill No.3524 would ensure consistency, completeness, clarity, and compliance with the constitutional regulation of social relations,” reads the conclusion, signed by head of the Committee Ruslan Kniazevych.

At the same time, despite the fact that the ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC is Ukraine’s international obligation pursuant to Article 8 of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the Committee on European Integration believes that the bill No.1788 does not refer to the priority areas of adaptation of the Ukrainian legislation to the European Union legislation.

Human rights activist from the Euromaidan SOS initiative Iryna Dumych is convinced that the rejection of the bill by the Committee shows a lack of political will.

The human rights activists point out that the bill, submitted by Petro Poroshenko, on the amendments to the Constitution in terms of justice provides for the introduction of a provision that allows recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. However, this provision shall enter into force three years after the amendments to the Constitution. This further delays the ratification of the Rome Statute in time.

As known, the pro-Russian militants, in particular, demand that Ukraine pardon the LPR/DPR militants, involved in the armed conflict.

Earlier, lawyer Oleh Veremeyenko, who cooperates with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, called for the immediate ratification of the Rome Statute to exclude the possibility of pardoning the pro-Russian militants as the international crimes would not have the period of limitation after the ratification.