Ukrainian media company Starlight Media and the civilian network OPORA are jointly launching an awareness-raising campaign to motivate Ukrainians to testify about Russian war crimes. This information cooperation began last fall and continues thanks to the support of the UK government.
February 16, 2024, as part of this collaboration, thematic social advertising was released on the medical company’s TV channels.
Almost 16% of Ukrainians surveyed across the country said they had witnessed war crimes committed by Russians. And the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reports 125,389 recorded war crimes as of February 15, 2024.
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— Evil must be punished not only on the battlefield, but also in the realm of the rule of law. Yes, no court in the world will be able to return the lost Ukrainian lives to us or cancel the pain we experienced. However, it is on the recording of Russian crimes, on our testimony that it depends whether we will be able to achieve justice during the tribunal, whether the perpetrators will be punished.
Therefore, the campaign launched jointly with OPORA is very important for us, and we will invest our broadcast and digital resources in promoting testimony, specialized services and the fight for justice, no matter how long it may be, &# 8212; notes CEO of Starlight Media Alexander Bogutsky.
News stories, studio interviews with guests, text news and posts on the importance of testifying about war crimes, instructions on how to , where to go, what exactly are war crimes, how a person’s testimony becomes evidence in international courts, why it is important to interview witnesses not only in Ukraine, but also abroad, and the like.
The experts in these materials will be representatives of the Center for Assistance in Documenting War Crimes, which OPORA opened in Warsaw, specialized experts from human rights organizations involved in documenting war crimes, representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and others.
Starlight Media journalists will prepare thematic materials, and OPORA will provide representation of subject matter experts. Also, as part of a joint information campaign, a social video will be broadcast on television during February-May.
As the head of the board of the civil network OPORA Olga Aivazovskaya notes, we must be prepared that achieving justice will not happen quickly.
— Unpunished evil is only growing, so the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine is an integral part of comprehensive security in Europe. According to sociological research, in Ukraine, 16% of citizens witnessed war crimes, and 51% believe that victory and peace are impossible without justice. We believe that every victim who is now safe should be informed about what war crimes and crimes against humanity are, what legal actions are possible, and what the role of a witness is in the justice process.
This information campaign is designed to encourage witnesses to cooperate with law enforcement and community organizations that facilitate documentation, and to clearly understand that justice will not be swift, but the war for many will only end with the punishment of the criminals, — she notes.
An interview with Olga Aivazovskaya regarding the Warsaw Center for Assistance in Documenting War Crimes can be viewed at link.
And the day before, on February 15, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited the OPORA War Crimes Documentation Center in Warsaw.
