Ukraine: War Crimes
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) victims and (b) witnesses of war crimes in Ukraine are protected from reprisals (i) during and (ii) after investigations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
Through our support for the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), the UK has worked to ensure that the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG) takes a survivor-centred justice response, rooted in international standards, in order to protect the rights of victims and witnesses. This has included supporting the establishment of the Victim and Witness Coordination Centre in the OPG, which has already provided support and protection to 1,500 people engaged in legal proceedings related to atrocity crimes. The UK is also providing capacity-building support through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict team of experts to embed international guidance and best practice on survivor-centred approaches into the work of Ukrainian investigators, prosecutors and judges. In November 2024, the Ukrainian parliament approved a law on the legal and social protection of Conflict Related Sexual Violence victims, the development of which was supported by UK funding.
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