Special Rapporteur Morris Tidball-Binz call international community increased support for Ukraine’s own investigations, and welcomes the progress made so far by the Prosecutor General’s Office in ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice.
He also commended the rapid mobilization of the international community in establishing mechanisms and initiatives to collect, document and preserve evidence of violations of human rights and humanitarian law. international law, including extrajudicial killings, committed during the invasion of Russia.
Respect national property rights
Mr. Tidball-Binz said These mechanisms may play an important role support the work of the Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as other “accountability frameworks” such as International Criminal Court (ICC) and national prosecutions of the parties to the conflict and in the States of joint jurisdiction.
“It is therefore paramount that the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, which leads the investigations in the country, receives all necessary support and resources to ensure the full coordination of its investigative efforts in Ukraine,” he said.
The rights expert stressed that “to make progress and deliver concrete results,” this support must respect national ownership of investigative efforts, if consistent with the rules. and relevant international standards.
Proper coordination is important
Without coordination, he warned, “there is a significant risk of overlap and duplication affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of investigations.”
For example, identifying people who have passed away requires appropriately collecting, analyzing and matching information, he said.
Proper coordination can also prevent the re-trauma of victims and witnesses from being interviewed multiple times by different investigators and ensure that the interviews align with strategy, he added. overall investigation.
© UNICEF / Photo of Ashley Gilbertson VII
In Kharkiv, Ukraine, a man put his hand on the window of a train as he said goodbye to his wife and children before they departed on a special evacuation train.
Uphold international standards
More, all investigations must conform to international standards, consists of United Nations Principles for Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extralegal, Arbitrary, and Summary executions.
He added: “International law requires investigations to be prompt, effective, thorough, independent, objective and transparent. “To this end, proper coordination and adequate data management are fundamental prerequisites, especially in complex cases, such as those being investigated in the United States. Ukraine.”
Tidball-Binz, a medical legal expert, explains that investigations of war crimes and crimes against humanity require many areas of expertise and specialized knowledge to be able to gather complete, document and preserve large amounts of sensitive and complex evidence.
Dignity for the victim
Identification of human remains, and proper treatment, is paramount, he said, and concerted efforts here are “absolutely necessary” here, he said, “to settle the settlement. ensure that disappearances are enforced and prevented from becoming a missing person.”
He once again called on all parties concerned to abide by the applicable international rules and standards, and to actively work together, not only to avoid duplication but also in the best interests of the victims. core.
The expert also stressed his readiness to provide technical advice and support on these matters.
Role of the UN Rapporteur
Mr. Tidball-Binz was appointed by the UN Dong Nhan Quyen Association and be a part of it Special procedure mechanism in which independent experts are tasked with reporting on country-specific situations or thematic areas.
He is not a UN employee and does not receive a salary for his work.
