24 feb Kateryna Buriakovska: ”There is a strong demand for justice”
Kateryna Buriakovska är docent i internationell rätt och människorättsexpert i Ukraina. Hon arbetar sedan 2022 med dem ukrainska människorättsorganisatonen Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group som rättsexpert, och medverkar i projekt som drivs i samarbete med Östgruppen. (Denna intervju är på engelska)
Could you tell us a little bit about Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group?
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG) is one of the oldest Ukrainian human rights organizations; it traces its origins back to the Soviet-era dissident movement of the 1970s-1980s. From 1988 onwards, the KHPG was known as the Kharkiv branch of Memorial human rights and historical organization.
The mission of the KHPG, on the one hand, is to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms from infringement by the State and, on the other, to assist the State in asserting and protecting these rights and freedoms. Our organisation’s title refers to ‘Kharkiv’ but the KHPG is active everywhere in Ukraine. KHPG was established as a legal entity on 10 November 1992.
Russia’s war has caused enormous suffering for people in Ukraine. Abductions, deprivation of liberty, displacement and torture of civilians and military are common. You’re involved in a project to document war crimes committed by the Russian troops.
Yes, in 2014 as Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine, KHPG started to document international crimes and human rights violations related to the aggression and provide comprehensive assistance to the victims and their families. Immediately after 24 February 2024, the KHPG and two partner organization launched the database “Tribunal for Putin” (T4P) to document all the incidents of international crimes. You can find the webpage on t4p, seeing the statistics on the incidents documented.
Another track is the work with survivors of the human rights violations. KHPG provides legal aid, medical and psycological support to people who has suffered from atrocitious crimes in the teritories occupied by Russia, also with those who were released from illegal detention, who managed to flee from the occupied teritories. Recently the KHPG launched the hot line for relatives and families of enforced dissappeared people in the occupied teritories people, of the prisonres of war. One can report on the case and submit an application for search of people.
Based on the work with survivors and results of the work of the hotline, complemented by information gathered with the support of OSINT, we released a report on the findings. It is quite meticulous work by the KHPG, searching for war prisoners and missing civilians, done in parallel with our efforts to provide assistance to missing person’s families.
Together with the Östgruppen we started a new – funded by the Swedish institute – joint project aimed at raising awareness on missing people in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine, systematic torture against detained civilians and prisoners of war.
What are your hopes for the future of Ukraine?
I think there is a strong demand for justice in the Ukrainian society. The war against Ukraine is aggressive and unprovoked, Ukrainian people experienced enormous sufferings and human rights violations. We hope for the effective punishment to the Russian political and military leadership for the crime of aggression, and all the perpetrators of the international crimes committed against Ukrainians, and the suffering should be remediated – as much as it is possible. The very central hope and strong belief – release of illegally detained civilians, full exchange of POWs. We hope that this all – together with Ukraine`s victory in the battlefield and international politics – becomes true very soon.
What is needed from the Swedish government, and from the EU?
I think we need support in all the tracks which lead to restoration of human rights of Ukrainans and combating impunity in the world. In today’s dynamic world we need stronger diplomatic and political pressure on Russia to make them respect international law and human rights. International partners should stay committed to international and regional efforts to create accountability mechanism for the crimes of aggression. We need continued support for international investigations into war crimes and human rights violations, and consistent advocacy for sanctions and legal actions against perpetrators.
Also, we need humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, which prioritizes human rights and community rebuilding. While being in war with Russia, Ukraine is making its way to the EU. For this process, technical and methodological support is very much in need.
How will the cooperation with Östgruppen benefit your work?
I think our cooperation benefits from the fact that Östgruppen has strong networks in Sweden and the EU, helping to amplify our message to policymakers and the international community. about human rights violations in Ukraine remain on the agenda in Sweden and the EU.