Aspen Institute Kyiv’s organized a Dialogue for Lawyers on “Constitutionalism in Extreme Conditions: Dialogues on Justice in Times of War”
On June 27, as part of the “Justice, Law, and Society” program development, Aspen Institute Kyiv, in partnership with the OSCE Projects in Ukraine, organized a dialogue titled “Constitutionalism in Extreme Conditions: Dialogues on Justice in Times of War.”
The Aspen Institute Kyiv engages leaders in a dialogue on current challenges and seeks possible responses. The discussion involved:
- Judges.
- Representatives from the Office of the Prosecutor General.
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The legal business community.
- Civil society.
During the dialogue, participants discussed various aspects of the impact of wartime changes on the state and society.
Special attention was given to discussing the advisability of amending the Constitution of Ukraine or the possibility of initiating a new constitutional process. Considering that changes to the Constitution during a state of war are prohibited, participants focused on issues that must be addressed after its conclusion.
Participants also considered the concept of Ukraine’s social contract and its correlation with the Constitution of Ukraine. In particular, during the discussion, participants referred to an essay by constitutionalist and legal expert Vsevolod Rechytsky, whose work is presented in the “(Re)Thinking the Social Contract for Ukraine” collection, compiled by Aspen Institute Kyiv.
Rasim Babanly, the First Deputy Head of the Supreme Court Apparatus, moderated the dialogue.
Additionally, Aspen Institute Kyiv team expressed their gratitude to Vitalii Gatseliuk, recently elected to the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, for his steadfast support of the “Justice, Law, and Society” program and fruitful cooperation from 2016 to 2023 within the OSCE programs in Ukraine.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the participants for their productive dialogue!
The event was held with the support of the OSCE Projects in Ukraine.
