Department for the Execution of Judgments
of the European Court of Human Rights

From 22 to 25 June, Clare Ovey, Director of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, accompanied by the three members of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, visited Kyiv for high-level discussions concerning the execution of the Court’s judgments by Ukraine.

The delegation met with the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and the Deputy Head of the President’s Office. At the governmental level, discussions took place with the Acting Minister of Justice and the Government Agent before the European Court, as well as with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Social Policy, the Deputy Minister of Justice responsible for penitentiary service, the Deputy Minister of Defence responsible for the protection of rights of military personnel, and with representatives of the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Further meetings were held with high-ranking representatives of the judiciary, including the Acting President of the Constitutional Court, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court and the Presidents of the Cassation Courts, the President of the High Council of Justice and the Acting President of the High Qualification Commission of Judges. Finally, the delegation met with the Deputy Prosecutor General and the Head of the State Bureau of Investigations, as well as representatives of civil society active in the areas of human rights and justice.

The visit enabled highly constructive discussions covering a broad spectrum of measures necessary for the effective execution of judgments of the European Court, currently under enhanced supervision by the Committee of Ministers. Topics included the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution service, the effectiveness of investigations into allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement and within penitentiary institutions, deaths among armed forces personnel, conditions of detention, the length of judicial proceedings, and the non-enforcement of domestic court judgments. Exchanges also considered Ukraine’s EU accession agenda and the challenges posed by the ongoing war of aggression by the Russian Federation. The Director also updated Ukrainian stakeholders on progress regarding the Committee of Ministers’ supervision of inter-State cases, notably Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia and Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea).

The visit reaffirmed the Council of Europe's commitment to supporting Ukraine in the effective execution of the European Court's judgments, including through its cooperation programmes, which remains central both to the protection of individual rights and to overall respect for human rights and rule of law in Ukraine.  

 Country factsheet of Ukraine

 Council of Europe office in Ukraine