The initiative of the T4P (Tribunal for Putin) presents its first document with systematic justification of Russia committing a genocide in Ukraine. A large submission, in both Ukrainian and English, will be published and transmitted to the International Criminal Court.

The term “genocide” is often used to describe current events, although in international law this word has a specific definition: to classify certain acts as genocide, one has to provide detailed justification. The initiative “Tribunal for Putin” documents mass atrocities committed by Russians in Mariupol since 24 February 2022; its focus has been on proving that these atrocities in the city are to be qualified as genocide. We hold a strong belief that Russia’s aggressive policy in respect of Mariupol and its population falls within the ambit of the traditional understanding of the term “genocide”.

Previously, the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, responsible for documenting crimes in Mariupol, published a printed collection of the Mariupol people’s history.

At the event, the authors of the submission will discuss various aspects of the genocide – mass murder of the Mariupol people, deportation of children, filtration camps, etc. – and how important may the recognition of Russia’s genocide be and what is to be done for this recognition to happen.

A synchronized English translation will be provided.

Date and time: 28.08.2023, begins at 11:00.

Format of the event: offline, online broadcast.

Venue: Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, Kyiv, Bohdan Khmelnytskyy Street, 8/16.

Speakers:

• Mykhailo Romanov, an expert from the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group and one of the submission’s authors;
• Yevhen Zakharov, the Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
• Tetyana Samoderzhenkova, the coordinator of the Mariupol department of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU);
• Mykola Komarovsky, a lawyer from the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, author of a part of the submission concerning the deportation of children;
• Kateryna Buriakovska, a docent at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, co-author of the submission;
• Oleksandra Romantsova, the executive director at the Center for Civil Liberties.

If you would like to receive informational materials after the event, please register here: https://forms.gle/MKVJazQbw34wH3UG7

Earlier in Kharkiv, the T4P presented its first submission to the International Criminal Court concerning the shelling of Ukraine. Both submissions have been prepared with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

Background: the global initiative “Tribunal for Putin” was created in response to the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation in February 2022. The participants of the initiative document the events that show signs of crimes under the Rome Stature of the International Criminal Court (genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes) in all regions of the country under attack. The Initiative makes use, where possible, of the existing procedures of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the European Union and the International Criminal Court to avert such crimes and to bring those responsible to justice. The following are the founders of the initiative: the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, the Center for Civil Liberties, and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union.