General Purposes

About this grant

This grant will assist the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union in their efforts to increase access to justice in Ukraine through protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. Particular attention will be given to documenting and seeking redress from crimes arising from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Through its member organizations, which operate 22 public reception offices, the grantee will connect civilian victims to relevant justice services, placing accountability and war-related monitoring and documentation at the heart of human rights work. It will educate a range of justice service providers in Ukraine about international humanitarian law and how to gather evidence and develop cases. It will additionally pursue war-related strategic litigation, both nationally and internationally. In 2021-22, the grantee provided nearly 20,000 individual consultations through its legal aid centers, despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and a full-scale military invasion. Through its lengthy experience of bringing cases to the European Court of Human Rights, it has proven to be an important player in a Ukrainian government initiative to hold Russian forces accountable for destruction of property, with over 60,000 submissions received so far. Established in 2004, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union works to promote practical observance of the range of international human rights instruments to which Ukraine is a party.