The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation participated in the plenary session of the International Youth Legal Forum titled "The Values of Law in the New World Order." The event was moderated by Sergey Alexandrovich Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Head of the Department of Constitutional Law at St. Petersburg State University. Among the speakers were the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuychenko; the Rector of the All-Russian State University of Justice (Russian Legal Academy of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation), Olga Ivanovna Alexandrova; the Rector of St. Petersburg State University, Nikolay Mikhailovich Kropachev; and the Director of the Center for the Study of Information Security Problems and Digital Transformation at St. Petersburg State University, Vladislav Vladimirovich Arkhipov.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia emphasized the importance of preserving historical truth to strengthen traditional Russian values. "By dealing with the past, we define our future through law," he stated and spoke about the work on forming a unified evidence base within a single criminal case on the genocide of the peoples of the Soviet Union, identifying previously unknown mass graves of civilians and prisoners of war, and identifying those involved in crimes against peace and humanity during the war years. The collected materials have already formed the basis of decisions in 20 judicial processes on Nazi crimes. In this regard, A.I. Bastrykin added: "We believe we are doing the right and necessary thing."

Another aspect of A.I. Bastrykin's speech focused on the Committee's educational and training activities. "Our priority is to admit children of participants in the special military operation into our educational institutions," he emphasized. The head of the Committee also noted that students of the Investigative Committee of Russia volunteer in military hospitals, donate blood, assist veterans of the Great Patriotic War and investigative veterans, as well as participants in the special military operation. "We help our fighters together with our youth, including in the new regions, so that people of all generations could realize their rights granted to them by law," he added. Addressing the younger generation of the meeting, A.I. Bastrykin noted, "Both on the front lines and on the home front – everyone in their place – should find their combat position."

A.I. Bastrykin also discussed the activities of the Investigative Committee of Russia to prevent cases of child abuse; physical, psychological, and sexual violence in families and educational institutions. He provided detailed information on the work of the committee's investigators in this area for 2023, noting that during this period, 23,700 crimes against children were investigated, in addition to 565 past years' crimes in this category.

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee paid special attention to the issues of educating the younger generation, noting that modern cinema contributes to the introduction of cruelty into our lives. He emphasized the need and importance of popularizing the feats of heroic defenders of the Motherland.

During the discussion, he also expressed his opinion on the timeless relevance of classic Russian literature. "The works of Dostoevsky form the foundation for reflections on the value of law," he added.

A.I. Bastrykin answered questions from those present, including the questions regarding the responsibility of subordinates for committing illegal acts. "If you get caught – you will face the consequences! And our employees know this," he stated firmly. At the same time, he emphasized: "Every time it should be a serious and justified decision."

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia also made a proposition to consider the possibility of lifting the moratorium on the death penalty. He drew attention to the existing practice of applying such punishment in the Republic of Belarus.

The session’s participants exchanged views on various issues of protecting human rights and freedoms, as well as strengthening national values in the context of global changes.