Support for Ukraine at the 64th IAJ Annual Congress

During the 64th annual IAJ congress in Tel Aviv, attention was paid to the situation in Ukraine in connection with Russian aggression.

Vice President of the Association of Judges of Ukraine Olena Yevtushenko delivered a report on the impact of the war on the justice system in Ukraine. She described:

• Destruction of more than 50 courthouses in combat zones
• difficulties in organizing the work of courts in the occupied territories,
• problems of communication between Ukrainian judges in the conditions of war.

IAJ President Jose Igreha Matos expressed solidarity with the judges of Ukraine and stressed the importance of international support to preserve the independence of the Ukrainian judiciary.

In addition, the congress discussed initiatives of European countries, in particular the Czech Republic and Portugal, to finance support for Ukrainian judges affected by the war.

Thus, the issue of Ukraine became an important topic of the congress, emphasizing the need for international assistance to preserve justice in the conditions of military conflict.

Discussion of problems and adopted resolutions

During the second meeting of the Central Council on September 21, 2022, three important resolutions were adopted:

1. The resolution on Tunisia — condemns the dissolution of the Supreme Council of Judges and the illegal dismissal of 57 judges.
2. The resolution on Guatemala — draws attention to the prosecution of judges and prosecutors who investigated corruption cases.
3. The resolution on the murder of judges in Yemen — condemns violence against judges in that country.

Separately, the President of IAJ expressed support for Ukrainian judges and assured them of international solidarity.

The congress also considered the financing of the IAJ, the need to increase membership fees and the establishment of a mechanism to monitor the state of judicial independence in different countries.

At the end of the meeting was the transfer of the IAJ flag from Israel to Taiwan, which will host the next, 65th annual IAJ Congress in 2023.

64th Annual Congress of the International Association of Judges in Tel Aviv

From September 18 to 23, 2022, the Israel Judges Association hosted the 64th Annual Congress of the International Association of Judges (IAJ). This was the largest gathering of judges in the history of the association, attended by representatives of 64 national judges' associations.

IAJ President Jose Igreha Matos opened the meeting of the Central Council, stressing the importance of cooperation between judges from different countries. During the congress, the challenges facing the judicial institutions, as well as the issue of protecting the rule of law, were discussed.

One of the key moments of the event was the presentation of the award for judicial independence to three judges:

• Murat Arslan (Turkey), who is in prison for his fight for judicial independence,
• Krzysztof Markevich (Poland), President of the Judges Association “Justicia”,
• Erica Aifan (Guatemala), who is in exile due to the fight against corruption.

Reports from representatives of international organizations, including the OSCE, the UN and the World Bar Association, were also heard.