17 January 2013

An Agreement of Cooperation was concluded between IOM and the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine. The document was signed by the Head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine Mr. Ruslan Kyryliuk and the Chief of the IOM Mission in Ukraine Mr. Manfred Profazi.

The Agreement is intended to consolidate efforts of the Parties in counteracting crimes related to trafficking in persons and those based on racial, ethnic or religious hatred. The particular goal is to promote observance of human rights of citizens of Ukraine as well as foreigners and stateless persons.

?The crucial aim of Ukrainian judicial system reform is implementing best European standards. We are thankful to IOM for its support,? the Head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine Mr. Ruslan Kyryliuk stated.

IOM and the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine have been cooperating in the field of witness protection since 2009. In the framework of a project funded by the U.S. State Department, video-link testimony systems were installed by IOM Khmelnytskyi City Regional Court, Lutsk City Regional Court, Suvorivskyi District Court of the city of Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Luhansk and Chernihiv Courts of Appeal.

?These systems are crucial for improving victim and witness protection, completely separating them from the audience during court hearings of trafficking-related and other sensitive criminal cases. We are proud that those already in place have been used during more than 250 court hearings,? IOM Ukraine Chief of Mission Manfred Profazi stated after the signing ceremony.

?In the framework of a new US-funded project IOM will install video-link testimony systems in eight additional selected Ukrainian courts,? Mr. Profazi informed.