“International law is ineffective when one party does not abide by the rules,” – Olha Reshetylova, in Oslo

Olha Reshetylova, the Head of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, took part in one of the discussion panels at a conference of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee held in Oslo. Together with Lene Wetteland, the Head of Documentation and Accountability Hub of the NHC, they discussed the issue of holding those responsible for war crimes in Russia accountable.

The topic was discussed on the example of the case of Denys Kulykovskyi, the ex-commandant of the Donetsk prison-torture facility Izoliatsiia, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January this year. During the trial, people who managed to escape imprisonment recounted that Kulykovskyi personally participated in torture and gave orders to torture.

As Olha Reshetylova mentioned, this is one of the few successful cases of bringing perpetrators of war crimes to justice, where the victims are relatively satisfied with the outcome. “Unfortunately, the lengthy justice process contributes to the loss of motivation of the victims and their disillusionment in the judicial process,” she noted.

In this context, Reshetylova informed the audience about an analytical study on the legal status, experience, and motivation of victims to participate in cases of war crimes recently prepared by the MIHR. It is available here.

During the discussion, the Head of the MIHR thanked Norway and the Norwegian government for taking the lead on the issue of releasing civilian hostages held by Russia. She noted that Russia introduced the practice of persecuting Ukrainians in the occupied territories back in 2014. In Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which have been under occupation for more than 10 years, abductions have been ongoing throughout this time. Russians are also implementing this practice in the newly occupied territories. While retreating, they take prisoners with them, transferring them further and further into the Russian Federation.

Olha Reshetylova suggested establishing a center in Oslo for the release of Ukrainian civilians illegally detained by Russia. She noted that there are all the possibilities for this.

“Firstly, Norway, together with Canada, has taken the lead on the issue of releasing civilians captured by Russia. Secondly, we can use the documented data in I-DOC. Thirdly, Oslo has an experienced team from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Fourthly, Ukrainian civil society organizations can support this center and develop strategies for releasing civilians for the Norwegian and other governments.”

The Head of the MIHR also emphasized that the policy of the Russian Federation in persecuting civilians requires deeper examination. “This is not just a violation of international law; it demonstrates how ineffective international law is when one party does not adhere to the rules and no one can influence them to stop their crimes. This is a danger for all countries that sooner or later risk being threatened by invasion or armed conflict.