Washington, 7 May 2022 (TDI): Samantha Power, USAID’s Administrator met with representatives of Ukrainian civil society. The representatives included those of the 5am coalition and tribunal for Putin coalition.
Spoke w/ Ukraine civil society representatives working to document war crimes, crimes against humanity, & other atrocities. Their work is already having a visible, critical impact in rebutting Russian attempts to deny the extent of these violations. More: https://t.co/cvPdUztKhz
— Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) May 6, 2022
The representatives are documenting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other killings committed against Ukrainian nationals. In Ukraine, these groups have recorded almost 4000 examples of human rights breaches.
Individuals who have done field trips to various regions across the country were among the representatives. This is where they have gathered documentation proof and witness proof for a variety of terrible acts.
Indiscriminate attacks on civilians, summary killings, child suffering, and organized sexual and gender-based violence are among the crimes.
Ukrainian civil society representatives highlighted the methods and instruments they use to document major human rights violations and crimes.
They save and evaluate the data they’ve gathered. They also assure that documentation meets the highest quality ethics for use in the present and future accountability mechanisms. Since 2014, the representatives have explained how their documentation has been used.
International investigators and prosecutors will have access to it. The International Criminal Court, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the United Nations Human Rights Council are among them.
Civil society representatives’ engagements
Other mechanisms for accountability will be introduced as well. Civil society leaders also discussed their collaborative efforts with national judicial institutions. This will strengthen Ukraine’s documentation and decision abilities.
The collaborative effort will push for needed lawmaking changes to bring domestic regulation in line with international humanitarian law. The officials emphasized their teamwork with national and international media in spreading the truth about the crimes committed in Ukraine.
Administrator Power also expressed gratitude to the representatives and their coworkers for their efforts. It was also praised for heroism in documenting the truth about Russia’s killings against the Ukrainian people and holding them responsible.
She further emphasized that their work is already having a major and clear impact. Especially in response to Russian attempts to downplay the scale of the crimes taking place in Ukraine. She also emphasized USAID’s strong support for Ukraine’s responsibility efforts.
She also stated that the agency will continue to provide assistance. And to hold Russia accountable for human rights breaches, abuses, and crimes against humanity.
