
Two years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, questions around how to achieve accountability and justice for war crimes remain urgent. Nowhere is this more important than in Mariupol, a city which was besieged by Russia for several months starting in February 2022, resulting in the deaths and injuries of thousands. Mariupol is still under Russian control today.
A recent research report titled "Our City was Gone: Russia’s Devastation of Mariupol", which documents the catastrophic assault on the city, was released in February 2024 by Human Rights Watch, Truth Hounds, and SITU Research, a visual investigations practice which provides factual accounts of contested events. This report presents a factual account of the siege of Mariupol and identifies ten commanders who should be held responsible for apparent war crimes.
We invite you to join us for a presentation of the report and a discussion on different approaches to accountability in Ukraine. The event will be followed by a reception.
The event is co-hosted by the Centre for Fundamental Rights, Human Rights Watch and Vitsche, a Berlin-based NGO that amplifies Ukrainian subjectivity and voices in Europe.
The event will take place at the Hertie School and will be live-streamed via Zoom.
Registration is required. Please register here to attend in person, or here to attend online.
Speakers
Christoph Essert is a policy adviser at the Federal Foreign Office. At its Ukraine desk, he handles all matters pertaining to public international law and human rights. Previously, he served as Deputy Spokesperson at the German Embassy in Washington, DC and as a Desk Officer for International Criminal Law at the Federal Foreign Office. He holds a PhD in EU law.
Anastasia Hrechkina was born in Mariupol and survived 22 days in the city under siege at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Now living in Berlin, she manages of social and cultural projects, as well as dedicating herself to activism, youth work and education.
Anna Hrechkina is the twin sister of Anastasia. She also survived 22 days in Mariupol under Russian siege in early 2022, and is now also based in Berlin. She is a visual artist and blogger, as well as an activist, youth worker and educator.
Yuriy Uhryn is a Ukrainian lawyer and a Legal Counsel at Truth Hounds. Yuriy has actively worked on several issues related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, including hate crimes, deportation, environmental damage and weaponisation of Ukrainian power facilities. Yuriy previously worked at Clooney Foundation for Justice, with a particular focus on attacks on civilian infrastructure. He also was a Legal Consultant at ArticWind Solutions, where he provided OSINT assistance in various criminal cases.
Richard Weir is a senior researcher in the Crisis and Conflict division at Human Rights Watch. He has investigated and documented violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in numerous countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as other locations. Richard was previously the Human Rights Watch Myanmar researcher and was awarded the 2016-2017 Arthur R. and Barbara D. Finberg fellowship at Human Rights Watch.
Chair
Başak Çalı is Professor of International Law at the Hertie School and Director of the School's Centre for Fundamental Rights. She is an expert in international law and institutions, international human rights law and policy. She has authored publications on theories of international law, the relationship between international law and domestic law, standards of review in international law, interpretation of human rights law, legitimacy of human rights courts and implementation of human rights judgments.