Ukraine's parliament ratifies Rome Statute

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its amendments.

Holos Party MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

He said that 281 MPs had supported Bill No. 0285.

The purpose of the law is to implement domestic procedures necessary for the entry into force for Ukraine of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its amendments adopted by the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.

Ukraine declares that the ICC's request for cooperation can be sent both through diplomatic channels and directly to the Prosecutor General's Office (on matters of investigation and trial) or to the Ministry of Justice (on issues of execution of judgments and other decisions of the International Criminal Court, adopted as a result of the investigation of the case).

At the same time, Ukraine declares that the ICC's request for cooperation and any documents attached to it must be sent in Ukrainian or accompanied by a translation into Ukrainian.

The document on the ratification of the Rome Statute stipulates that Ukraine will not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for war crimes for seven years if the issue concerns Ukrainian citizens.

Ukraine plans to join the updated version of the ICC Statute, which also includes Article 8 bis (according to which the "crime of aggression" is defined as the planning, preparation, initiation or execution, by a person in a position effectively to exercise control over or to direct the political or military action of a State, of an act of aggression which, by its character, gravity and scale, constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations).

The Rome Statute will enter into force for Ukraine on the first day of the month following the 60th day from the date of deposit of the instrument of ratification with the Secretary General of the United Nations.

After the entry into force of the law and the Rome Statute, the state will acquire full membership in the International Criminal Court and will be able to participate in the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC and shape ICC policy, nominate its candidate for the position of judge, approve the distribution of the ICC budget in order to ensure proper investigation into Russian crimes in Ukraine, to participate in the elections of judges and other elected officials (in particular, the ICC prosecutor), and to influence the development of changes to the Rome Statute.

It is expected that the adoption of the law will ensure the necessary level of implementation of the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court regarding criminal prosecution for international crimes (the crime of genocide, the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes), and will also ensure the prevention of legal and actual impunity for the commission of crimes.

As many as 124 states have already ratified the ICC's Rome Statute. China, India, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, among others, did not sign or ratify the Statute.

Russia and the United States signed the Statute but later withdrew their signatures.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute on January 20, 2000.