UBAHRI and IBAHRI addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice
The Ukrainian Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (UBAHRI), together with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice on the violation of economic, social and cultural rights in the context of war and transitional justice in Ukraine.
The letter highlights the aspects of violations of economic and social human rights in Ukraine as a result of the war, as well as the challenges for the justice system in the context of transitional justice.
Main points:
- The impact of the war on the judiciary
- Since February 2022, almost 10% of the judicial infrastructure has been damaged and 20% of courts have been closed.
- Despite the difficulties, the justice system continues to function.
- Fighting corruption and ensuring the independence of the judiciary remain important tasks.
- Socio-economic consequences of the war
- Destruction of infrastructure: total losses are estimated at $155 billion, including $58.9 billion for housing.
- Forced displacement: 4 million internally displaced persons, 6.8 million refugees.
- Economic instability: GDP drop by 30% in 2022, unemployment rate of 14%, inflation of 11%.
- Shortage of basic necessities: more than 16 million people are affected by the lack of water, food, and medicine.
- Deteriorating mental health: about 1.5 million children and one third of the population suffer from depression and PTSD.
- Recommended actions
- Drawing the UN's attention to the systematic violations of the socio-economic rights of Ukrainians.
- Demand full reparations from Russia, including the confiscation of its assets.
- Create effective instruments for the implementation of transitional justice measures.
- Support for judicial reform and investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.
The letter was signed by Mykola Stetsenko, President of the UBA, and Francesca Restifo, Senior Associate at the IBAHRI.
The human rights violations and recommendations contained in the letter are proposed to the Special Rapporteur for inclusion in his report to the UN General Assembly.
This submission highlights the importance that violations of these rights will have on the implementation of transitional justice in Ukraine in the future.
The full text of the submission is available here.
Tags: UBAHRI, UBA activities, IBA