Marsz Tysiąca Tóg dwa lata później. Suwerenność i praworządność – rola sądów po pandemii COVID-19
4. Some Interim Conclusions about Access to Justice in Times of War
Access to justice is an integral element of a contemporary rule-of-law democratic state. Though the idea of balancing state power provides less possibility to implement the right to a fair trial properly amid a state of war and pandemic, some of the current challenges make the proper administration of justice amid these obstacles almost impossible.
Nevertheless, challenges to access to justice cannot replace the very idea of protecting human rights. Therefore, the idea of a more flexible approach and wider discretion of judicial power should give grounds to make changes and ensure full protection for human rights.
The concept of ‘checks and balances’ power deals with the professional judiciary (highly qualified judges in combination with the range of tools for judges in proceedings if there are grounds for impartiality exists) from one side, when both other branches of power consist of elected representatives. The very idea of a fair trial is crucial not only for parties to proceedings, but also for the professional judges who deal with the administering of justice every day. From our point of view, it makes sense to give more power to the self-regulated organisations of judges, as well as judiciary heads, to organise properly the administration of justice in times of war or other challenges in the future.
* Institute of Law, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine; the University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria; Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Judicature of the University of Silesia in Katowice.
** Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Max Planck Institute Luxembourg.
1 This article was partially prepared as part of the Polish Lithuanian Ukrainian project ‘Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the justice system. Case study and suggested solutions’, co-financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange within the Urgency Grants programme, 2021–2022 nr BPN/GIN/2021/1/00006/U/00001 (number UN-2105-001). The authors would like to thank Prof Remco Van Rhee from Maastricht University for his help, and Dr Sarah White from AJEE for the English editing.
2 Today, increasingly often, society and the international community is using the title russia and russian federation using small letters in support of Ukraine and human rights. We support this initiative for the period of the war – russian occupation and terror on the lands of independent Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian civilians.
3 See more in Izarova Iryna ‘The Transformation of Civil Justice amid Covid-19: lessons from Ukraine’ Polish Civil Procedure 1/2022 Pp. 223–232.
4 The Law of Ukraine ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Aimed at Providing Additional Social and Economic Guarantees in Connection with the Spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)’, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/540-20#n184, accessed: 29.3.2022.
5 https://dsa.court.gov.ua/dsa/inshe/14/N_196_20, accessed: 29.3.2022.
6 Official Data may be found on the website ‘Judiciary of Ukraine’, http://court.gov.ua, accessed: 29.3.2022.
7 The Law of Ukraine ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Aimed at Providing Additional Social and Economic Guarantees in Connection with the Spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)’, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/540-20#n184, accessed: 29.3.2022.
8 The Decree of the President of Ukraine № 64/2022 ‘On the imposition of martial law in Ukraine’, https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/642022-41397, accessed: 29.3.2022. In English, see, https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-pidpisav-ukaz-pro-zaprovadzhennya-voyennogo-stanu-73109, accessed: 29.3.2022.
9 See https://dsa.court.gov.ua/dsa/pres-centr/news/1264481/, accessed: 29.3.2022.
10 Interview with the President of the Supreme Court, https://suspilne.media/222932-suddam-nebezpecno-viizdzati-gumanitarnimi-koridorami-pravosudda-v-ukraini-pid-cas-vijni/, accessed: 29.3.2022. An interview with the Office of the President’s staff gives the number of decisions sent to the USRJ for the period of 24 February to 28 of March as 252 557, https://www.dw.com/uk/yak-pratsiuie-sudova-systema-ukrainy-v-umovakh-viiny/a-61294651, accessed: 29.3.2022.
11 In the Kherson region, there are only 18 districts. Thus, the work of all the district courts was terminated, including specialised courts (commercial and district administrative) and appellate courts.
12 The interview with the Office of President’s staff noted about 127 courts or 21% of the total numbers of Ukrainian appeal and local courts, https://www.dw.com/uk/yak-pratsiuie-sudova-systema-ukrainy-v-umovakh-viiny/a-61294651, accessed: 29.3.2022. The interview with the President of the Supreme Court contains information on 121 courts changing jurisdiction, https://suspilne.media/222932-suddam-nebezpecno-viizdzati-gumanitarnimi-koridorami-pravosudda-v-ukraini-pid-cas-vijni/, accessed: 29.3.2022.
13 The interview with the President of the Supreme Court, https://suspilne.media/222932-suddam-nebezpecno-viizdzati-gumanitarnimi-koridorami-pravosudda-v-ukraini-pid-cas-vijni/, accessed: 29.3.2022.
14 The interview of the Office of the President’s staff, https://www.dw.com/uk/yak-pratsiuie-sudova-systema-ukrainy-v-umovakh-viiny/a-61294651, accessed: 29.3.2022.
15 The Order ‘On approval of the Procedure for evacuation, storage and destruction of documents in a special period 2019’, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z1132-19#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
16 The Order of the President of the Supreme Court ‘Recommendations to the courts of first and appellate instance in case of occupation of the locality and/or court or an imminent threat of occupation’ 13.3.2022, https://ips.ligazakon.net/document/view/vss00828?utm_source=jurliga.ligazakon.net&utm_medium=news&utm_content=jl03&_ga=2.65166062. 1751405986.1648305523-239448448.1648305523, accessed: 29.3.2022.
17 It is noteworty that Ukraine has not yet fully implemented a digital justice system, therefore, it is not enough to preserve the judicial decisions in the USRJ for a full administration of justice, as was noted in the interview of the Office of the President’s staff, https://www.dw.com/uk/yak-pratsiuie-sudova-systema-ukrainy-v-umovakh-viiny/a-61294651, accessed: 29.3.2022.
18 The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges’, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1402-19#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
19 See https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/7442014-17689, accessed: 29.3.2022.
20 Law of Ukraine ‘On the Judiciary and Judges, ‘2010, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2453-17#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
21 See https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v2710740-14#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
22 The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Administration of Justice and Criminal Proceedings in Connection with Anti-Terrorist Operations’, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1632-18#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
23 More can be found here here, https://jurliga.ligazakon.net/news/ 209589_10-chlenv-vishcho-radi-pravosuddya-dostrokovo-sklali-povnovazhennya-za-vlasnim-bazhannyam, accessed: 29.3.2022.
24 The Council of Judges of Ukraine, http://rsu.gov.ua/ua/pro-rsu, accessed: 29.3.2022.
25 Order of the President of the Supreme Court No 30/0/82 of March 11, 2022.
26 ‘Some recommendations for the organiation of courts and judges in martial law’, http://rsu.gov.ua/ua/news/suddi-aktivno-berut-ucast-v-nacionalnomu-sprotivi?fbclid=IwAR1CjJAwt-wBLvB4RFf9C0COKsS6SzBiW8rq2QarFqTItBlBd3USEGLNnmQ, accessed: 29.3.2022.
27 For example, Judge of the Civil Court of Cassation Andriy Kalarash joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The interview with the Office of the President’s staff mentioned a total of 32 judges and 131 judicial system staff who had been mobilised, https://www.dw.com/uk/yak-pratsiuie-sudova-systema-ukrainy-v-umovakh-viiny/a-61294651, accessed: 29.3.2022.
28 The interview with the President of the Supreme Court, https://suspilne.media/222932-suddam-nebezpecno-viizdzati-gumanitarnimi-koridorami-pravosudda-v-ukraini-pid-cas-vijni/, accessed: 29.3.2022.
29 The Law of Ukraine ‘On the organisation of labour relations in martial law’, 15.3.2022, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2136-20#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022. More can be found in English here, https://en.lb.ua/news/2022/03/24/11801_labour_law_tailored_war_comes_into.html, accessed: 29.3.2022.
30 22.3.2022, the National Civil Service Agency – Explanation of the peculiarities of the service of civil servants who went abroad after martial law was imposed in Ukraine No 150-р/з.
31 The Law of Ukraine “On Civil Service” of December 10 2015 No 889-VIII, https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/889-19#Text, accessed: 29.3.2022.
32 The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Prevention of Corruption’ of 14 October 2014 No 1700-VII, https://nads.gov.ua/npas/shchodo-osoblivostej-prohodzhennya-sluzhbi-derzhavnimi-sluzhbovcyami-yaki-viyihali-za-kordon-pislya-vvedennya-voyennogo-stanu, accessed: 29.3.2022.