Side event at the Helsinki+50 conference: “The future of the Helsinki Final Act: restoring justice and ensuring Russia’s accountability”

A side event “The Future of the Helsinki Final Act: Restoring Justice and Ensuring Russia’s Accountability” will take place during the Helsinki+50 Conference at Finlandia Hall on 31 July from 8:45 to 9:30. The event will focus on the immense human suffering and systematic persecutions caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its systematic violations of the Helsinki Final Act. Ukrainian civil society organisations will discuss patterns of human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by Russia.

Since 2014, this war has been accompanied by widespread and systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law including: enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial executions, unlawful detention of civilians, persecution, politically motivated trails and other grave crimes. With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, these patterns have only aggravated.

This war starkly highlights the link between the maintenance of peace and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms which serves as a basis of comprehensive, co-operative, equal and indivisible security, as set out in the Final Act. If Russia’s aggression is left unchecked and justice is not served for the victims of the war, this will pose a serious threat to the future of the Final Act, as well as to security, peace and well-being in Europe.

For years, Ukrainian organizations — including Media Initiative for Human Rights and Human Rights Center ZMINA — have worked to document these crimes and advocate for justice, accountability, and the protection of victims’ rights. The Ukrainian civil society organisations will discuss patterns of human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by Russia since 2014. In particular, an expanded use of quasi-legal mechanisms and Russian trials of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees as a tool of persecution will be highlighted. The event will feature testimonies from former Ukrainian prisoners of war. 

At this side event, participating organizations will present their findings and explore key questions:

• How does Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine undermine the fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE’s security framework?
• What patterns of systematic violations have been documented since 2014, and how do they reflect a broader policy of persecution?
• How can OSCE participating States help prevent such crimes and respond effectively?

Speakers:

• Tetiana Katrychenko, Head of the Media Initiative for Human Rights;
• Tetiana Pechonchyk, Head of Board of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA;
• Liliia Prutian, Former POW facing politically motivated trial, Operations officer of the 3rd Assault Company, 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Aidar”;
• Oleksandr Kuzmenko, Former POW facing politically motivated trial, Commander of the 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Company, 1st Battalion of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Moderator: Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna

Attendance at the side event is limited to registered participants of the Helsinki 50+ conference.