JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Smoking Guns: How to Prove the Putin Regime’s War Crimes in Ukraine” – Foreign Affairs/ Janine di Giovanni
“… [The] Ukraine … conflict has involved horrific atrocities, many … extensively recorded in real time …. [U]nlike in Syria and other recent wars, these crimes are being documented with the explicit aim of amassing evidence that can be used in courts. Since the war began, dozens of investigative journalists have been trained to become war crimes researchers, gathering images, interviewing eyewitnesses, and collecting other forms of evidence in locations across the country. And they are also working with legal experts to vet these findings and prepare them for submission to an international tribunal. …. As Kyiv’s counteroffensive unfolds, raising the prospect of new atrocities coming to light in reconquered territory, it is imperative that researchers are ready to document what happened … while the evidence is fresh. The coordinated approach … put into play over the past year provides a template … but … requires significant resources and expertise. … [I]nternational support for war crimes research can help make Ukraine a watershed in how Western governments and international institutions hold aggressor governments to account. …”