Dmytro Koval joins international discussion in Tokyo on accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine

These questions were at the heart of the international conference “Justice and Accountability for Ukraine: The Compensation Mechanisms and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression”, held in Tokyo on 15 October. The event brought together representatives of government authorities, international institutions, the legal profession and academia. The conference was organised by International Bar Association (IBA).

Dmytro Koval, Head of the Department of International and European Law at the Faculty of Law, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and Co-Executive Director of Truth Hounds, contributed to an expert panel discussion on the establishment and future operation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

The panel also featured Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA); Anton Korynevych, Director of the Department of International Law and Legal Counteraction to Aggression at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Philipp Osten, Professor at Keio University; and Irene Suominen, a representative of the Council of Europe. The discussion was moderated by Kate Orlovsky, Director of the IBA International Criminal Court and International Criminal Law Programme.

A separate session of the conference addressed international compensation mechanisms, including the work of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine (RD4U), the prospects for establishing an international claims commission and a compensation fund.

The discussions in Tokyo formed part of a broader international dialogue on ensuring accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, securing compensation for the damage caused and strengthening the international legal order, with the involvement of Japan and other countries across the Asia-Pacific region.