OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting side event, Vienna

In-person event, March 13, 2023

On March 13th, 2023, Stefan Wolff, the Co-coordinator of the OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions, participated in the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting pre-event in Vienna. The event focused on “Russia’s war in Ukraine: Accountability for war crimes & serious human rights violations”. During the event, Stefan argued that the OSCE and its participating States need to help Ukraine build capacity to hold Russia accountable for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed during the war in Ukraine. This should include support for documenting violations, collecting evidence, and preparing case loads for future prosecutions. Participating States should also consider their own options to bring prosecutions under universal jurisdiction. At the same time, Stefan noted, there was a need to think beyond accountability and support restorative justice for victims and survivors—here, too, the OSCE has experience and a good track record supporting civil society efforts in the past, for example in the Western Balkans. The event was moderated by Dave Elseroad (Human Rights House Foundation), and other key speakers include Tetiana Pechonchyk (ZMINA Human Rights Centre/ Human Rights House Crimea), Mariia Sulialina (Almenda Centre for Civic Education/ Human Rights House Crimea), and Antanina Maslyka (Netherlands Helsinki Committee).