The recent resonance decisions of courts and judicial governance bodies clearly demonstrate that the judiciary is in a deep crisis.
Over the last five years, staffing replacements in the court practically did not happen. Dishonorable judges who cannot explain the source of their wealth and who have violated human rights, including during the events of the Revolution of Dignity, not only remain unpunished, but even win seats on the highest courts in Ukraine. The level of trust in the court has not increased beyond the levels of Yanukovych’s final year as president, and less than 1% of Ukrainians believe that judicial reform in recent years has been successful.
Judicial reform must be revived.
In order to do this, it is necessary to initiate and adopt legislative changes, such as:
- To replace the High Qualification Commission of Judges. Above all, it should consist of civil society representatives and qualified lawyers whose integrity and qualifications have been verified by international experts.
- To provide for the inspection of the integrity of the members of the High Council of Justice with the help of international experts, and to terminate the powers of those who will not pass such an inspection.
- To establish an effective mechanism for evaluating judges whose integrity is in question due to substantiated doubts in order to remove dishonorable and corrupt judges.
- To develop a just process for selecting judges for the Constitutional Court.
- It is also critically important for the expert group on judicial reform, which the President has decided to establish, includes agents of change (civil society experts, authoritative lawyers, whistle-blowers, international experts), and not old political functionaries and dishonest judges.
The process of making legal change should be open and inclusive, and the changes should be based on propositions outlined in the Justice Reform Agenda which was developed by more than twenty leading NGOs and was supported by a number of top politicians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
AutoMaidan
Centre UA
Civic Lustration Committee
Institute of Legislative Ideas
Nova Kraina
Together Against Corruption
Ukrainian Centre for European Policy
Фундація DEJURE
Centre for Economic Strategy
Center for Civil Liberties
ZMINA Human Rights Centre
Anticorruption Action Centre
Bihus.info
StateWatch
Transparency International Ukraine
NGO Bureau of Legal Communications
Bureau of Social and Political Developments
NGO Public Defense
NGO Ukraine Needs You
NGO Bridge 3.10
NGO Center of Youth Initiatives "KROK"
Public Human Rights Protection Organisation "Human Rights"
NGO Women's Anticorruption Movement (Khmelnytskyi)
NGO Center of Media Investigation "Prozoro" (Kropyvnytskyi)
NGO Political Science Association
NGO Center of Ukrainian Politics "Exampey" (Kropyvnytskyi)
NGO Public Control of Kirovohradshchyna
NGO Volonteer Association of Maidan and Military Action Participants (Kropyvnytskyi)
NGO Young Cherkashchyna
NGO Khortytskyi Institute (Zaportizhzhia)
NGO Rivne Center "Social Entrepreneurship"
NGO Against Corruption
NGO Zaporizhzhia Human Rights Protection League "UNIVERSAL"
NGO Center for Public Monitoring and Analytics (Ternopil)
Members of the Ukrainian Council of Business:
Association of Private Employers
Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Ukrainian Federation of the Security Industry
Association "Ukrainian Importers of Consumer Electronics"
Ukrainian Agrarian Council
Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine
Ukrainian Business Association
Ukrainian Association of Electrical Equipment Manufacturers
Hi Tech Office Ukraine
Association of Information Technology Enterprises
Ukrainian Association of Direct Sales
Ukrainian Federation of Security
Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland
Association of Franchising of Ukraine
National Organisation of Retail Trade
Association of Importers and Distributors of Autocomponents
Ukrainian Union of Fire and Technical Safety
Association of Shipbuilders of Ukraine "UKRSUDPROM"
Pharmacy Association of Ukraine
Association of Ukrainian Importers of Fish and Seafood
Association "Ukroilprom"
League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine
Ukrainian Association of Investment Business
Ukrainian Bakers' Association
Construction Chamber of Ukraine
Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers
Association of International Investors
Professional Association of Registrars and Depositaries
Association of Ukrainian Plastics
League of Entrepreneurs "Ukrainian Business"
Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine and Turkey
Fumigation Association
Association of Fruit Importers
All-Ukrainian Union of Manufacturers of Building Materials
Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association
National Association of Insurers of Ukraine
Association of Participants in the Currency Market
Ukrbiofuels
Ukrainian Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Association
Association of Milk Producers of Ukraine
Business Travel Association of Ukraine
Association "Innovative Development of Ukraine"
Ukrainian Federation of Security Professionals
Ukrainian Chemists Union
Ukrainian Trade Association
Ukrainian IT Association
Independent Association of Ukrainian Banks
Association "Ukrainian Technologies of Commodity-Money Circulation"
National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine
National Association of Pension Funds and Administrators
Ukrainian Association of Pension Fund Administrators
Anticorruption Entrepreneurial Front
All-Ukrainian Public Association of Entrepreneurs "New Formation"
Association of Ukrainian Manufacturers in the Paint and Varnish Industry
All-Ukrainian Association of Importers of Meat and Meat Products
Union of Security Workers
Association of Cement Producers of Ukraine "UKRCEMENT"
Ukrainian Blockchain Association
International Business Association
All-Ukrainian Association of Security Specialists
Agency for the development of the bill market
Ukrainian Capital Markets Association
Association for Promotion of Construction and its Financing "Ukrmiskbud"
Association "Blockchain Ukraine"
All-Ukrainian Professional Association of Entrepreneurs
Corporation "Ukrelectrotrans"
International Women Entrepreneurs Embassy
Association of Social and Economic Development of Transport, Communications and Informatization "TransSinFocom"
Italian Association