CREATION OF NON-STATUTORY PARAMILITARY OR ARMED GROUPS (ARTICLE 260 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF UKRAINE): BASIC LEGAL POSITIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT
CREATION OF NON-STATUTORY PARAMILITARY OR ARMED GROUPS (ARTICLE 260 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF UKRAINE): BASIC LEGAL POSITIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT.
УДК 343.341
DOI 10.37566/2707-6849-2021-4(37)-13
ORCID: 0000-0001-9592-1424
ORCID: 0000-0002-9832-6070
Oksana KVASHA,
Dr habil, professor, Senior Researcher (criminal law, criminology and judiciary department) to the Koretsky Law and State Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Vadim LEVCHUK,
postgraduate, (criminal law, criminology and judiciary department) to the Koretsky Law and State Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
CREATION OF NON-STATUTORY PARAMILITARY OR ARMED GROUPS (ARTICLE 260 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE OF UKRAINE): BASIC LEGAL POSITIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT.
This article focuses on problem related to the legal positions of the Supreme Court regarding an element of a crime provided for by Art. 260 “Creation of Militarized or Armed Formations Not Provided for by Law” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. There were analyzed the dynamics of registered crimes provided for by Art. 260 of the present Code, the number of persons to whom were given notices of suspicion or they were convicted or acquitted, and the proceedings on which were closed during 2000-2005. The influence of dynamics on judicial practice is determined.
The article determines decisions of the Supreme Court that contain legal positions on the application of Art. 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The rulings of the Supreme Court of March 26, 2018 in the proceeding № 423/519/15-k of October 17, 2018 in the proceeding № 428/6916/14-k concern when a person becomes a member of a militarized or armed formation not provided for by law and, respectively, when he or she can be prosecuted to criminal responsibility under Art. 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. These decisions state that the courts shall establish whether such a person has consented to participate in the activities of such a formation and whether he or she has taken an active part in its activities. In case specified circumstances are not established, criminal responsibility according to Art. 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is excluded.
The rulings of the Supreme Court of 27 May 2020 in the proceeding № 296/2803/16-k and of 3 December 2020 in the proceeding № 310/686/17 contain a legal position regarding the qualification of the actions of a member of such a formation, which is a structural part of a terrorist organization “DNR” or “LNR”. The first decision states that the actions of a person shall be qualified in conjunction with Articles 260 and 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and in the other one - under Art. 258-3 of this Code only. Based on the analysis of the legislation of Ukraine and scientific literature, it is proposed to qualify the actions of participants of militarized or armed formations not provided for by law, which are structural parts of the terrorist organizations “DNR” and “LNR”, under Art. 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Key words: paramilitary or armed formations not provided by law, criminal organization, terrorist organization, legal positions of the Supreme Court, judicial practice.
References
Robak V. A. (2008) Kryminalna vidpovidalnist za stvorennia ne peredbachenykh zakonom voienizovanykh abo zbroinykh formuvan [Criminal liability for the creation of paramilitary or armed groups not provided by law]: (PhD Thesis), Kharkiv: Kharkivskyi natsionalnyi universytet vnutrishnikh sprav 259. [ukr.]
Pro zabezpechennia prav i svobod hromadian ta pravovyi rezhym na tymchasovo okupovanii terytorii Ukrainy [On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 15 kvitnia 2014 roku № 1207-VII. URL: https://cutt.ly/BRitSOz (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Ofitsiinyi vebsait Ofisu Heneralnoho prokurora: Statystyka [Official website of the Office of the Attorney General: Statistics] URL: https://cutt.ly/DRitVkr (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Ofitsiinyi vebsait sudovoi vlady Ukrainy: Sudova statystyka [Ofitsiinyi vebsait sudovoi vlady Ukrainy: Sudova statystyka]. URL: https://cutt.ly/kRit81y (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Savchenko K. Y. (2019) Sudova praktyka yak element pravovoi systemy Ukrainy [Judicial practice as an element of the legal system of Ukraine]: (PhD Thesis), Kyiv: Donetskyi natsionalnyi universytet im. Vasylia Stusa 223. [ukr.]
Pro sudoustrii i status suddiv [On the judiciary and the status of judges]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 2 chervnia 2016 roku № 1402-VIII. URL: https://cutt.ly/ URYT6wL (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Demenchuk M. O. (2018) Rol Verkhovnoho Sudu u zabezpechenni yednosti sudovoi praktyky v Ukraini [The role of the Supreme Court in ensuring the unity of judicial practice in Ukraine]: (PhD Thesis), Odesa: Natsionalnyi universytet «Odeska yurydychna akademiia» 223. [ukr.]
Postanova Verkhovnoho Sudu [The of Supreme Court] vid 26 bereznia 2018 roku u spravi № 423/519/15-к (provadzhennia № 51-871км18). URL: https://cutt.ly/LRYPZOj (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Kononchuk A. O. (2021) Kryminalno-pravova kharakterystyka stvorennia ne peredbachenykh zakonom voienizovanykh abo zbroinykh formuvan ta uchasti v nykh [Criminal-legal characteristic of creation of paramilitary or armed formations not provided by the law and participation in them]: (PhD Thesis), Kyiv: Natsionalna akademiia vnutrishnikh sprav 263[ukr.].
Vozniuk A. A. (2018) Kryminalna vidpovidalnist za stvorennia zlochynnykh obiednan ta uchast u nykh [Criminal liability for the creation of criminal associations and participation in them] (FOP Maslakov) 928. [ukr.]
Streltsov Y. L. (ed) ta in, Kryminalnyi kodeks Ukrainy. Naukovo-praktychnyi komentar [Criminal Code of Ukraine. Scientific and Practical Commentary]. (Odissei 2008) 800 [ukr.].
Pro praktyku rozghliadu sudamy kryminalnykh sprav pro zlochyny, vchyneni stiikymy zlochynnymy obiednanniamy [About the practice of consideration by courts of criminal cases on crimes committed by stable criminal associations]: postanova Plenumu Verkhovnoho Sudu Ukrainy [Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine] vid 23 hrudnia 2005 roku № 13. URL: https://cutt.ly/zRYsSGE (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Melnyk M. I., Khavroniuk M. I. (ed) ta in, Naukovo-praktychnyi komentar Kryminalnoho kodeksu Ukrainy [Scientific and practical commentary on the Criminal Code of Ukraine]. (Yurydychna dumka 2012) 1313. [ukr.]
Ishchuk O., Bohatyrova O. (2016) Problemy kryminalno-pravovoi kvalifikatsii dii osib za stvorennia terorystychnoi hrupy, terorystychnoi orhanizatsii abo ne peredbachenykh zakonom voienizovanykh ta zbroinykh formuvan [Problems of criminal-legal qualification of actions of persons for creation of a terrorist group, terrorist organization or paramilitary and armed formations not provided by law] (Ukraine, Kyiv, September 30, 2016), Kyiv: Natsionalna akademiia prokuratury Ukrainy, pp. 132−133. [ukr.]
Kryvoruchko I. O. (2019) Protydiia diialnosti terorystychnykh orhanizatsii v Ukraini zasobamy kryminalnoi yustytsii [Countering the activities of terrorist organizations in Ukraine by means of criminal justice]: (PhD Thesis), Kharkiv: Instytut derzhavy i prava im. V. M. Koretskoho NAN Ukrainy 302. [ukr.]
Pro borotbu z teroryzmom [On the fight against terrorism]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 20 bereznia 2003 roku № 638-IV. URL: https://cutt.ly/sRTS3GG (accessed: 01.03.2019). [ukr.]
Kodeks administratyvnoho sudochynstva Ukrainy [Code of Administrative Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [Law of Ukraine] vid 6 lypnia 2005 roku № 2747-IV. URL: https://cutt.ly/cRTDGNA (accessed: 20.10.2021). [ukr.]
Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Office of the coordinator for counterterrorism U.S. Department of State URL: https://cutt.ly/hRTFgAA (accessed: 20.10.2021). [engl.]
Grazhdanskij processual’nyj kodeks Respubliki Kazahstan [Civil Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan]: Respubliki Kazahstan [Law of Republic of Kazakhstan] ot 31 oktyabrya 2015 goda № 377-V. URL: https://cutt.ly/LRTFUCG (accessed: 20.10.2021). [russ.]
Case of Kasymakhunov v. Russia (ECtHR, 14 November 2013). URL: https://cutt. ly/hRYqEzU (accessed: 20.10.2021).[engl.]