August 2015
In June and July, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), in collaboration with the Ukrainian Legal Aid Coordinating Center, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation and Advocates for Free Legal Aid System, conducted a series of 46 trainings on the country’s 2014 Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). Almost 1,400 attorneys from 25 regions participated in the trainings.
The trainings, which were preceded by two training-of-trainers workshops in May, began with a June 6–7 workshop in Kharkiv. The workshops are designed to equip participating advocates with the skills they need to practice under Ukraine’s new CPC, which went into effect in July. The series of trainings address several criminal law and procedure issues, including forensics as well as the role of a defense attorney in identifying criminal offenses and during criminal proceedings.
Tatiana Kravchenko and Maryna Starovoitova, of the Kharkiv Regional Legal Aid Center, led the Kharkiv training, which was attended by 39 defense attorneys. The first day of the training covered criminal offenses against the life and health, sexual freedom and immunity of a person. The second day focused on proceedings that require forensic examination—including determination of seriousness of bodily injury—different forms of forensic examination, evaluation of expert findings and examination of expert witnesses at trial.
Participants expressed interest in similar future trainings, especially ones that address war crimes, crimes against the state, admissibility of evidence and the process of appealing a European Court of Human Rights decision. The workshops were supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
To learn more about our work in Ukraine, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@americanbar.org.