Ewelina Dobrowolska: each country's contribution to the establishment of the special tribunal is strategically important
During the meeting with Mr James Browne, Minister of State of the Department of Justice of Ireland, Minister of Justice Ewelina Dobrowolska focused on the issues of the special international criminal tribunal for the investigation of the crime of aggression, on Ireland's preparations for joining the activities of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, as well as on the fight against domestic violence and hate crimes.
“In the face of military aggression in Ukraine, Lithuania's leadership in seeking legal mechanisms to ensure russia's full responsibility yields results: the first arrest warrants have already been issued, but our country continues to actively participate in all international formats on this issue, with a particular focus on the establishment of a special international tribunal,” said Ms Dobrowolska.
The Minister stated that today it is important to discuss the issue of default judgments, as international law provides for this possibility. She stressed the importance for the states to consolidate their support actions in ensuring international justice.
The meeting emphasised that the special tribunal should become a legitimate and authoritative mechanism of justice capable of effectively performing its task – to prosecute the russian political and military leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and that the contribution of each country to its establishment is important.
As Ireland is getting ready to join the activities of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the experience of Lithuania in this area, as well as Ireland's work in preparing the required legislative framework and adopting national legislation were presented.
Ms Dobrowolska emphasised during the meeting that although the European Public Prosecutor's Office has only been operating for a few years only, it is already clear that this institution contributes considerably to the protection of the EU's financial interests, to the investigation of cross-border crimes, crimes against the EU's financial interests, including fraud, corruption and money laundering.
According to the Minister, Lithuania actively supports the initiative to extend the competence of the European Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate violations of EU restrictive measures, as this would be an important step towards a more effective implementation of the sanctions and the fight against their circumvention in the context of the military aggression in Ukraine.
The EPPO, which started operating in June 2021, has been joined by 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
The meeting discussed the experiences of the two countries and means of closer cooperation in ensuring more effective protection of human rights, combating hate speech and hate crimes.
“Hate speech and hate crimes affect not only individual crime victims and their communities by creating insecurity and restricting fundamental rights and freedoms, but also society as a whole by undermining the fundamental values of society,” said Ewelina Dobrowolska.
The Minister stressed that Lithuanian criminal law provides for strict liability for hate speech and hate crimes, prohibits discrimination of any kind. Lithuania is stepping up its efforts in the detection of these crimes, preventive measures, the development of human rights standards and policies to promote integration.
The discussions also covered the cooperation of the two countries, active engagement and leadership of the EU Member States, which, in cooperation with equality institutions and civil society, has led to significant progress in this area.
In addition, the issues of preparation for the EU Presidency were discussed. Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU between July and December 2026 and Lithuania – between January and June 2027.