In Lviv, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the Director General of the Directorate General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, Christos Giakoumopoulos.
The main topic of the meeting was the issues related to the approval of a certain compensation mechanism that will be used to restore justice and punish russia for the war unleashed in Ukraine.
“Today, justice has become a value which Ukrainians pay the highest price for – their lives. Ukraine is standing and fighting, but Ukraine needs justice. I am convinced that the Council of Europe will be able to do everything to ensure that justice takes its rightful place after this war is over,” Ruslan Stefanchuk addressed his European colleague.
In particular, he listed the specific steps proposed by Ukraine to implement a mechanism for compensation for the damage caused by russian aggression.
“This is a multi-vector task. The first of the most urgent issues is the establishment of the Register of Damages. It is important to record all the damage caused to Ukraine by russia, both material and moral.
The next important step is to establish a Damage Compensation Fund. It is important to agree on a mechanism through which confiscated assets of the russian federation will be transferred to this Fund and accumulated.
The third point is the creation of a Compensation Commission that will directly decide on the payment of compensation,” the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament informed about the plan, adding that it is also important to continue discussions on the creation of a special tribunal for russia, which will be able to objectively investigate all the circumstances of the case and deliver a fair, impartial and legal verdict against the aggressor country.
At the end of the conversation, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called on the Council of Europe to continue to play a leading role in the implementation of the above steps and expressed hope for a positive decision on their support during the 4th Council of Europe Summit to be held in May 2023.
“We value the participation of the Council of Europe in this issue. We want to do this in full compliance with European standards in order to bring russia, as the aggressor country, to justice, fair punishment and compensation for all the damage caused to Ukraine by this terrible war,” Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized.
Director General of the Directorate General for Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe Christos Giakoumopoulos assured the interlocutor that the Council of Europe has been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression and will remain on its side until we win.
“The issue of justice is extremely important today. Let me remind you that it consists of two components – punishment for those who committed crimes and compensation for those who suffered damage. And here we have to work together to ensure that justice is served in all parts of this case,” Christos Giakoumopoulos emphasized.
He also assured his Ukrainian counterpart that the Council of Europe is ready to take the lead in creating the Register of Damages and supports the establishment of the Fund to compensate for these losses and the Compensation Commission.
“Today, the Council of Europe is actively working on a complex process of confiscation, linking confiscated property to the damage caused and compensation for this damage. We are working on an annex to our convention on preventing and combating money laundering, which would allow such confiscation without criminal prosecution. I hope that we will soon have a full legal arsenal to continue this important work,” Christos Giakoumopoulos said about the Council of Europe’s achievements.
At the end of the meeting, he assured the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament that at the upcoming Summit in May, the Council of Europe member states will focus on bringing russia to justice for the war in Ukraine.
“Of course, Ukraine should play a leading role in this. And no decisions on prosecution will be made without Ukraine’s participation,” emphasized the Director General of the Directorate General for Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe.