“Ukraine’s history is being written in the courtrooms” — Olha Reshetylova at the United for Justice high-level conference in Lviv

Olha Reshetylova, the MIHR coordinator, took part in a civil society side event during the United for Justice high-level conference in Lviv. Participants of the conference, which became a “legal Ramstein”, talked about the importance of the cooperation of civil society, state bodies, and international organizations in investigating crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Olha Reshetylova emphasized the need for Ukrainian media and NGOs to monitor pre-trial investigations and trials related to the war. “There is a big risk that over time, due to the length and complexity of the processes, public interest in war trials will decrease, as it was after 2014. However, it is essential to keep them in the focus of public attention because it is our right to know the truth about the events of the armed conflict. Ukraine’s history is being written in the courtrooms. And it is possible that the history of international law is now being written here, in Lviv,” Reshetylova said.

MIHR thanks partners from the ZMINA Human Rights Center and the International Renaissance Foundation for organizing the side event. We also welcome the leadership of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General in the discussions regarding the mechanisms of prosecution for the most serious international crimes.