The Reckoning Project: Ukraine Testifies
“The Reckoning Project” is an NGO comprises of journalists, activists, and lawyers, primarily focused on documenting war crimes in Ukraine through personal testimonies. The initiative was launched after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to promote accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine through collection of testimonies, for use in prosecutions and for public dissemination to domestic and international audiences. The project involves training Ukrainian journalists and researchers to collect evidence throughout the country. So far, more than 30 Ukrainian journalists and researchers have been trained.
To date, “The Reckoning Project” has gathered over 350 testimonies, which have shed light on war crimes. The Project has made submissions to OSCE Moscow Mechanism reports and to the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding Russia’s forced transfer of children. The Reckoning Project also draws on testimonies to memorialise these experiences and strengthen public support for justice globally in an effort to end impunity. The Project’s stories and films have featured in publications such as Time Magazine, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and Foreign Policy.
The European Union collaborates with Civil Society Organisations such as “The Reckoning Project” to ensure that war crimes committed in Ukraine by Russia are punished and Russia compensates for the damage it has wrought. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has brought death, devastation and suffering to Ukraine’s’ citizens. As of the present date, Ukraine's prosecutor general has registered 109,183 war crimes, excluding numerous yet unregistered atrocities in the temporarily occupied territories. Through accountability efforts, the EU strives to ensure that war crimes committed in Ukraine do not go unpunished. While continuing to support the work of the ICC, the EU Commission, together with the international community and Civil Society, has established a tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression. The testimonies collected by “The Reckoning Project” not only ensure that the suffering of Ukrainian people remains in the public eye but also provide essential evidence for a tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.
During the event at the OSCE co-organised by the delegations of Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States, representatives of the “The Reckoning Project”, including Janine di Giovanni, Executive Director, Fredrik Wesslau, Board Member, and Ibrahim Olabi, the initiative’s Chief Legal Counsel, presented their work to foster a better understanding of the ongoing efforts to document, publicise, and prosecute war crimes committed by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They emphasised the urgent need for accountability not only to stop Russia’s attempts to weaken international norms but also to prevent future impunity, as well as the crucial role of diplomats in public messaging. The event’s opening and closing statements were made by representatives of the US Permanent Mission to the US, as well as the Ambassador of Ukraine to the OSCE, Yevheniy Tsymbaliuk, and moderated by EU Ambassador to the OSCE, Rasa Ostrauskaite.
For more information about the Reckoning Project, visit https://www.thereckoningproject.com/
