Community Prosecutor and human rights: ZMINA participated in the first meeting of the Community Council of the ARC Prosecutor’s Office
On December 11, 2024, the Human Rights Centre ZMINA took part in the first meeting of the Community Council of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, organised within the framework of the implementation of the concept of interaction between the Prosecutor’s Office and civil society.
Alena Lunova, Viktoria Nesterenko. Photo: Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of SevastopolAt the event, which brought together representatives of the government, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the public sector, ZMINA was represented by Advocacy Director Alena Lunova and Project Manager Viktoria Nesterenko.
The meeting discussed key aspects of cooperation, including documenting human rights violations and responding to international crimes. Viktoriia Nesterenko stressed the importance of cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in this direction: “ZMINA has been cooperating with state authorities, in particular the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, for many years. We monitor and document human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in the occupied Crimea, record the facts of illegal persecution of Ukrainian citizens, and collect data on the persons involved in the crimes for further prosecution“.
An important aspect of cooperation was the recording of facts of the transfer of illegally detained civilians from the newly occupied territories to Crimea, as well as the collection of information about officials of the occupation administration and law enforcement officers of the Russian Federation.
During the presentation of the concept, Vitalii Sekretar, First Deputy Head of the Autonomous Prosecutor’s Office, stressed the importance of the Community Prosecutor project: “This initiative should become a bridge between the prosecutor’s office, civil society and the authorities to ensure effective response to crimes and restoration of justice“.
The participants of the event also outlined the prospects for further cooperation between law enforcement agencies and NGOs aimed at ensuring the rule of law even under the temporary occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
