And this means that along with judicial reform, we must also think about how to increase trust in the courts. And this level of trust must be high among citizens, international partners, and investors.
For this, we first need to analyze the current situation and identify who is deliberately undermining trust in the court in the communication field.
Judge Lvov and the Russian Passport. What happened?
When a russian passport was discovered with Bogdan Lvov, the head of one of the cassation courts of the Supreme Court, the judicial community showed itself with dignity. The judges took a stand: citizens of the russian federation have no place in Ukrainian courts. These were, in particular, judges Viktor Prorok, Olena Kibenko, Ivan Mishchenko, and others.
Lvov was dismissed. And here, it was necessary to focus the attention of the public and international partners on the fact that the community of judges demonstrates itself quite strongly and is capable of self-regulation, and this is a #victory, not just spreading #treason about the presence of citizenship in a judge.
And now, for more than a year, the judicial case of Lvov, who is suing and wants to return to the Supreme Court, has been ongoing. A day before the court made a decision in favor of Lvov and decided to reinstate him in his position, a scandalous interview with the head of the Supreme Court, Stanislav Kravchenko, was released. In this interview, he talks about the issue of dismissing Judge Lvov as a “subjective decision” of Vsevolod Knyazev, who previously headed the Supreme Court and was caught taking a bribe.
What happened in shaping the media landscape?
Kravchenko devalued colleagues who publicly (!) raised the issue of removing a Russian citizen from office, mentioning the former head of the court involved in a bribery case. Thus, instead of a #victory for the judicial community and the ability to self-regulate, the head of the Supreme Court once again reminded the public of Knyazev, who is associated with bribery. And then, citizens might get the impression that the decision to remove Lvov, if it was done by Knyazev, may not be that good, because Knyazev himself was caught taking a bribe. Or: “they are all like that in the judicial system: bribe-takers and traitors.”
What will be the trust in the court then?
Kravchenko – Head of the Supreme Court. He is not just responsible for representing the court’s position on the case of Judge Lvov but also should ensure that trust in not only the Supreme Court but also in the judicial system, grows. In my opinion, he undermines the institutional integrity of the Court and trust in justice. Therefore, the results of the next public opinion poll on whether citizens trust the courts can be easily predicted.
And here arises the question: can the head of the Court harm the court’s brand and trust in the judicial community? How can one be a part of the community of judges, represent the institution, and undermine trust in it and in colleagues, ultimately damaging the investment climate?
How does russia work to undermine trust in the court?
But working to “downvote” trust in judges in the communication field are not such “talented” speakers as Kravchenko.
It is not in our enemy’s interest for us to improve the investment climate, build trust in the courts, and carry out reforms that would ultimately lead to a better economy. In Telegram, there is a whole network of channels working to “downvote” not only the courts but also the civil organizations working on judicial reform – the HCJ, DEJURE. Here, on one of the channels associated with Judge Vovk, there is an attack on key representatives of the civic sector – Vitaliy Shabunin, Halyna Chyzhik, and Mykhailo Zhernakov.
On the same channel, “Under the Mantle”, advice was given for “Opposition Platform – For Life” (OPFL) on how to bypass sanctions in 2021 when problems started in the media holding of Medvedchuk. Therefore, it is clear who is shaping the information policy here and with what ideology.
The channel “Under the Mantle” often disseminates information from another source – the ‘Judicial-Legal Newspaper’, which also shapes a similar negative information environment, targeting those who are fighting corruption in the anti-corruption sector and monitoring judicial reforms.
The same public figures are targeted with negative communication not only on anonymous Telegram channels, but also on some Facebook pages. Here is a page pompously calling itself ‘The Office for the Purification of Judicial Reform’. It works not only to undermine the public sector but also to discredit those judges whom the public sector has deemed virtuous.
In the Facebook Ads Manager, it is clearly visible that these narratives are being attempted to launch and promote. Moreover, in order to devalue both the virtuous judges and the public activists working on judicial reform, they are always contrasted with those who have the highest trust from society – the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
We must understand that a country is strong when all three branches of its government are strong and independent. The judiciary is one of the three, without which a state cannot exist. It is important not only to reform it but also to simultaneously shape the media field both in Ukraine and in Western media about the victories achieved here by public activists and virtuous, value-driven judges. Then investments will grow.
A strong economy is one of the best allies for victory.
Specially for “Glavkom“.
