A number of civil society organizations, including the Civil Network OPORA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation regarding the prosecution of individuals responsible for committing war crimes.
The Memorandum aims to establish standards for interaction between prosecution bodies and civil society institutions, as well as international humanitarian law standards, particularly focused on the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, into national criminal and criminal procedural legislation.
The cooperation involves the exchange of available information on war crimes, holding regular working meetings within the framework of the International Expert Council on War Crimes Investigation, and providing mutual assistance in advocacy campaigns, development of training programs, and the creation of standards for prosecutors' work to enhance their professionalism and the effectiveness of investigations into crimes committed in the context of armed conflict.
In addition to OPORA, the organizations involved in the development and signing of the Memorandum include the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the Legal Development Network, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, Truth Hounds, the Human Rights Platform, La Strada-Ukraine, the Center for Social Initiatives “Perspective”, the Institute of Legislative Ideas, the Human Rights Information Center (ZMINA), the Institute of Mass Information, the All-Ukrainian Human Rights Organization “Legal Hundred”, the All-Ukrainian Civic Center “Volunteer”, the Fund for Support of Fundamental Research, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation, Minzmin, the Kharkiv Human Rights Group, the Regional Human Rights Center, the Ukrainian Association of International Law, and the Association of Women Lawyers of Ukraine “JurFem”.
It is worth noting that, since 2022, a War Crimes Documentation Support Center has been operating in Warsaw.
In its first year of operation, the Center’s lawyers and psychologists collected nearly 1,500 preliminary interviews with witnesses. Initially, they interviewed Ukrainians in Warsaw shelters, and in the fall of 2023, they expanded to other Polish cities. Additionally, individuals can schedule interviews at the Center’s premises via a secure online form on the website warcrimescenter.org.
Since its opening in September 2022, the Center has reached a steady operational level and continues to scale up. All collected data is officially transmitted to the prosecutors of Poland and Ukraine. The Center’s experts have established systematic cooperation with the UK government, the prosecutors of Poland and Ukraine, as well as relevant international organizations.