The new text of the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes has been agreed and will be opened for signature in The Hague (Netherlands) in January 2024, the press service of the Ministry of Justice has reported.

"On May 26, 2023, in Ljubljana (Slovenia), the Diplomatic Conference on the Preparation and Adoption of the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes, organized within the framework of the international initiative MLA-initiative, launched by six States (Slovenia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Argentina, Mongolia, Senegal) in 2011 and supported by another 80," the Ministry of Justice said in a press release issued on Monday.

As reported, during the work, the delegation of Ukraine headed by Deputy Minister of Justice Iryna Mudra, together with the delegations of 52 other participating States and 16 observer States, discussed and agreed on the text of a new multilateral international treaty, which should become a global instrument in the international fight against impunity for those who committed the most serious crimes in violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

"With the entry into force of the Convention, a modern comprehensive mechanism for international cooperation in criminal matters will be introduced, which will facilitate criminal prosecution for the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," the press release says.

Cooperation based on the Convention covers the receipt by courts, pretrial investigation bodies and the prosecutor's office of international legal assistance in collecting evidence, as well as the possibility of extraditing persons who are suspects or convicted of such crimes and are trying to avoid criminal responsibility by hiding abroad, and the transfer of convicted persons.

According to Mudra, Ukraine's accession to the Convention will ensure effective cooperation of the competent authorities of Ukraine during criminal proceedings to investigate genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes committed on the territory of our state during the Russian war against Ukraine, obtaining international legal assistance and the extradition of war criminals both from the European continent and from states of Asia, Africa and South and North America.