The UNBA and the Coordination headquarters have agreed to cooperate in assisting those released from captivity

Servicemen released from captivity, family members of prisoners of war, civilians deprived of their personal liberty as a result of armed aggression, as well as persons missing in connection with the war, will gain additional opportunities to access legal assistance and protect their rights.

This is the aim of the memorandum of cooperation signed by the Coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war and the Ukrainian National Bar Association. The document was signed on behalf of the Coordination headquarters by its secretary Dmytro Usov and on behalf of the UNBA by the President of the UNBA, BCU Lidiya Izovitova. Chairman of the UNBA Committee on the protection of victims of armed aggression against Ukraine, compensation mechanisms and European integration legal support for recovery Andriy Yermak also participated in the signing of the memorandum.

The purpose of the document is to organize cooperation between the parties to adequately address the needs of these categories of persons in the areas of access to legal aid and the observance of human and civil rights.

One of the key practical areas of cooperation is the involvement of UNBA advocates in the work of the Coordination headquarters’ regional offices. This creates a foundation for more systematic legal support for people whose rights have been violated as a result of armed aggression, as well as for a more prompt response to specific requests on the ground.

The Memorandum also provides for assistance in providing legal aid to the categories of persons specified therein before state authorities, local self-government bodies, institutions, organizations, and courts of all jurisdictions in the event of a violation of their guarantees of social and legal protection related to the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

A separate area of cooperation concerns the preparation of joint proposals and recommendations for draft laws, other regulatory acts, state programs, and action plans. The parties also agreed to develop and implement joint projects and programs aimed at upholding the rule of law and strengthening guarantees of human rights and freedoms.

The agreement also provides for the conduct of joint information campaigns, seminars, roundtables, meetings, and other events — including online ones — to raise the level of legal awareness and knowledge among those covered by the memorandum. In addition, the parties agreed to exchange information and experience gained through cooperation with international organizations, bodies, and institutions of foreign states regarding practices, legislation, and programs in this area.

Coordination of cooperation on behalf of the UNBA will be carried out by the Head of the UNBA Secretariat Vadym Krasnyk.