PRESS RELEASE : Andriy Yermak – We are collecting all the facts about Russia’s crimes and human rights violations in Ukraine, which will then be used in international courts

The press release published by the President of Ukraine on 9 March 2022.

A web platform https://humanrights.gov.ua/ has been created to effectively collect and process information on human rights violations by the Russian Federation during the war with Ukraine, Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak told.

“The collected facts will be used as evidence for the defense and representation of Ukraine in the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. By his decree, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already authorized those responsible to represent and defend Ukraine’s interests in the UN International Court of Justice in the case against Russia on genocide charges. And there will be more such cases,” he stressed.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Yuliya Sokolovska noted that the Office of the President, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea managed to coordinate efforts, enlist the support of partners and promptly create an intergovernmental platform, which will help collect evidence of human rights violations in our country.

“The information received will make it possible to prosecute the Russian Federation and defend Ukraine’s interests in international courts,” she said.

In order to record human rights violations and/or crimes committed, it is necessary to fill out a form, describe the fact of human rights violations by the aggressor, attach available evidence: photos, videos, documents, information about witnesses, victims.

All information and witnesses who will provide it will be under reliable protection. The information will be processed by a qualified team of lawyers and prepared to protect the interests of our state. The evidence base will be used only in court cases of Ukraine against the Russian Federation in compliance with international standards of justice.

According to Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration Valeria Kolomiets, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has been waging an effective legal war against the Russian Federation for eight years within the European Court of Human Rights.

“In the first week of full-scale Russian hostilities in Ukraine, we persuaded the court to take precautionary measures against the Russian Federation, which now automatically apply to each individual application that people already provide to the Court against the Russian Federation. The launch of this portal will help us more effectively and quickly establish work to protect the rights of the people of Ukraine during the military aggression of the country-invader,” said Valeria Kolomiets.