OSCE works with Ukraine to train judges in Crimea

KYIV, 2 August 2002 - The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine co-organized a two-day seminar last month for judges from the Crimean Appeals Court in Simferopol. The aim was to provide the bench with a better understanding of property law in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Since Ukraine is now a party to this Convention, the lectures stressed the influence that international law now had on Ukrainian legislation and the fact that the Convention is now a part of Ukrainian legislation and therefore directly applicable. The fact that Ukrainian legislation recognises the Convention is insufficient, taking into account current legal practice in Ukraine.

The seminar, held on 25 and 26 of July in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, was presented by professors of the National Kharkiv Law Academy. Some 45 judges heard presentations that focused on different articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (Articles #6 and #10) and Protocol #1 on the protection of property rights.

Valerij Sirotiuk, vice president of the court said: "Such seminars are a very important training for our judges and they should take place more often. In this respect we are very thankful that the OSCE Project Co-ordinator organized this seminar."

The Ukrainian judges generally felt the seminar had been "very useful" since it covered ground that had not previously been discussed in the Simferopol court.

Special emphasis was placed on the case law established by the Strasbourg court, to equip the judges to work more effectively with the Convention, referring to this body of case law. In providing an understanding of this, the lecturers reviewed new trends in the interpretation of the Convention by the Court and the observations on its practices in the first half of 2002.

Experience has clearly shown that the training of judges is an important tool for promoting the rule of law in Ukraine, since most of the judges who participated in the seminar were educated during the Soviet era. The OSCE Project Co-ordinator therefore plans to continue this series of seminars.