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Ukraine Justice Briefing

Tuesday, 20 February ‘24

This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.

Ukraine's Chernihiv District Court in session.

Ukraine's Chernihiv District Court in session. © Irina Domashchenko

The Challenge of In Absentia Trials

Procedures must be impeccably transparent, given international concerns about national courts’ impartiality during an armed conflict.

A Ukrainian police officer stands guard in the hallway of a preliminary detention centre which is believed to have been used by Russian forces to jail and torture Ukrainians in Kherson, Ukraine.

A Ukrainian police officer stands guard in the hallway of a preliminary detention centre which is believed to have been used by Russian forces to jail and torture Ukrainians in Kherson, Ukraine. © Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Russian "Commandant" Sentenced for Kidnapping Kherson Official

Victim was beaten in an attempt to force him to collaborate with the occupation authorities.

Ukraine Justice Briefing

Tuesday, 13 February ‘24

This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.

22-year-old Sergei Agafonov, Russian soldier, has been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for shooting dead two civilians in the village of Hayvoron in the Chernihiv region in April 2022.

22-year-old Sergei Agafonov, Russian soldier, has been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for shooting dead two civilians in the village of Hayvoron in the Chernihiv region in April 2022. © Ed Ram/Getty Images

Russian Soldier Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Judges reject defence lawyer’s argument that there was a lack of proper evidence to support a murder charge.

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainians killed in the Russian invasion in Bucha have been laid to rest in the cemetery.

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainians killed in the Russian invasion in Bucha have been laid to rest in the cemetery. © John Moore/Getty Images

Universal Jurisdiction: a Key Tool for Accountability

Germany is at the forefront of prosecuting war crimes under the principle; the hope is that more countries will follow.

Smoke rises from the site of a Russian artillery attack on a civilian village in Mykolaiv oblast, Ukraine. The Russians did not advance deep into the Mykolaiv region, but Novokyivka remained under occupation for eight and-a-half months until on November 11, Ukrainian forces liberated the village.

Smoke rises from the site of a Russian artillery attack on a civilian village in Mykolaiv oblast, Ukraine. The Russians did not advance deep into the Mykolaiv region, but Novokyivka remained under occupation for eight and-a-half months until on November 11, Ukrainian forces liberated the village. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Two Russian Soldiers on Trial for Torturing Civilians

Seven villagers were taken to a graveyard where they were beaten and subjected to mock executions.

Ukraine Justice Briefing

Tuesday, 6 February ‘24

This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.

Chernihiv Court of Appeals in session on 22 January 2024.

Chernihiv Court of Appeals in session on 22 January 2024. © Iryna Domashchenko

Russian Pilot’s Appeal Rejected

Defence lawyer had asked for offence to be reclassified from war crime to intentional murder.

Global Voices: Europe/Eurasia

CABAR logo

THIS WEEK ON CABAR.ASIA

Highlights from IWPR’s Central Asia network of analysis and investigations.

The construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan is causing water shortages in southern Uzbekistan, while in Kyrgyzstan the government is considering the construction of a nuclear power plant. In Kazakstan, conservation activists are working to save the Central Asian tortoise from extinction.

Elsewhere, CABAR delves into the efforts by Central Asian authorities to detect, reduce and prevent statelessness across the region.

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Editor's Picks

A woman reacts over the body of her daughter, next to a clinic that was damaged during a Russian missile attack, on June 1, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. At least three were killed, including a child, and others were injured by falling debris from intercepted missiles.

A woman reacts over the body of her daughter, next to a clinic that was damaged during a Russian missile attack, on June 1, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. At least three were killed, including a child, and others were injured by falling debris from intercepted missiles. © Roman Pilipey/Getty Images

Ukraine Justice: “Reporting the Story is Just the Start”

Journalists need training and support to properly cover war crimes trials.

Students attend a lesson on housekeeping at a training facility for domestic workers on November 22, 2022 in Kampala, Uganda. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are a frequent destination for Ugandan domestic workers, with official estimates suggesting that around one hundred and sixty-five thousand Ugandans are in temporary employment contracts in the region.

Students attend a lesson on housekeeping at a training facility for domestic workers on November 22, 2022 in Kampala, Uganda. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are a frequent destination for Ugandan domestic workers, with official estimates suggesting that around one hundred and sixty-five thousand Ugandans are in temporary employment contracts in the region. © Luke Dray/Getty Images

International Migrants Day

Ugandan Women Pay the Price of Exploitation

Activists warn that vulnerable domestic workers risk abuse, often returning with serious health conditions.

Ukraine War Diary by A. Borden

Harsh Victory at Position X

Commitment, sacrifice and luck secured a vital early win in the south-eastern campaign, but can Ukrainian forces press on?

Sevim Kaya has been a bus driver for 16 years.

Sevim Kaya has been a bus driver for 16 years. © Umut Akar

Behind the Wheel in a Macho City

Some women face Adana's male-dominated traffic chaos for a living.

Karine (not her real name) was 15 when she realised that the male body she was born into was not hers. She moved from the rural community she grew up in to the capital Yerevan to be free to be herself. Unlinke many people in her community she was able to find a stable job as a hairdresser and manicurist.

Karine (not her real name) was 15 when she realised that the male body she was born into was not hers. She moved from the rural community she grew up in to the capital Yerevan to be free to be herself. Unlinke many people in her community she was able to find a stable job as a hairdresser and manicurist. © Anahit Zakaryan

Life in the Shadows for Armenia’s Transgender Community

Recent murder highlights widespread discrimination and violence against LGBTI people.

An AFPTV cameraman films while smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023 as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for the sixth consecutive day. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on October 8.

An AFPTV cameraman films while smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023 as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for the sixth consecutive day. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on October 8. © Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

The Israel-Hamas Conflict

Interview: The War on Disinformation

Open source intelligence (OSINT) can provide facts – but impatient, angry audiences often prefer opinions.

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