On 19 October 2021, the Prosecutor’s Training Center of Ukraine and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), have organized a workshop with members from the Prosecutor’s General Office of Ukraine, State Bureau of Investigation, Security Service of Ukraine and Ministry of Interior to present UNODC’s draft guidelines for investigating and prosecuting crimes under Articles 201, 263 and 263-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The document was developed by the Ukrainian criminal law experts: Professor Mykola Khavronyuk and Associate Professor Ruslan Shekhavtsov, who have distinguished carriers in law enforcement, prosecutorial service and academics. The document has been developed in the form of methodological recommendations for conducting investigation and prosecution, following the format, practice and traditions established within the Ukrainian legal community. It focuses on the crimes of smuggling of firearms, illegal handling of firearms and illicit manufacture of firearms.
The document presents the characteristic of these crimes, identifies in detail the circumstances that need to be established in the process of investigation, lists typical investigative situations and provides recommendations for actions. The guidelines take into consideration the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and UN Firearms Protocol.
During the workshop UNODC GFP has presented the content of the draft document and received constructive inputs for its improvement. The updated document will be presented and reviewed by the criminal justice practitioners in December 2021.
This activity is supported through a generous contribution by Germany.
