Ukrainian civil society institutions in countering terrorism: International legal standards

Abstract

Formalised structures of civil society are increasingly involved in the implementation of the law enforcement function, but the participation of such organisations in countering terrorism remains poorly studied in the theory of Ukrainian legal science. The research aims to determine the capabilities of civil society institutions in preventing and combating terrorism, following the proven international legal standards, and to outline the prospects for their use in shaping Ukraine’s anti-terrorism policy. Analysis, induction, deduction, and synthesis, as well as systemic structural and generalisation methods were used in the study. Countering terrorism has long remained one of the main tasks of the State, which must guarantee peace and security of citizens. Based on the textual analysis of some international legal acts which constitute the legal basis for countering terrorism, it is determined that they do not explicitly provide for the possibility of involving formalised structures of civil society in these processes. This also applies to the national specialised legislation in the field of counterterrorism. The author proposes to consolidate the opportunities for civil society institutions at the regulatory level to implement a set of relevant educational and information activities aimed at raising the level of legal culture of citizens, establishing interreligious dialogue, and fostering multiculturalism; to carry out information activities to raise public awareness of the existence, causes, public danger and consequences of terrorist crimes and the threats they pose. The author substantiates the need to organise educational activities aimed at enhancing the competence of relevant professionals; to introduce the proven experience of using scientific and technical methods and techniques for conducting criminal law research; to conduct joint educational and scientific activities; to exchange relevant statistical and information data on national legislation, etc. The author outlines the prospects for introducing the proven international experience of countering terrorism into the law enforcement practice of Ukraine. The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that it proposes specific steps that civil society can take to prevent and combat terrorism.

Keywords

• law enforcement agency
• regulatory support
• international act
• legal basis
• interaction
• prevention
• extremism
• radicals
• media