WEBINAR_ War Crimes Prosecution- Lessons from_the former Yugoslavia for Ukraine_fb
Webinar

War Crimes Prosecution: Lessons from the former Yugoslavia for Ukraine

Join us, virtually, on the 22h of April 2024, Monday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the a zoom webinar entitled: War Crimes Prosecution: Lessons from the former Yugoslavia for Ukraine”. The topic will be presented by dr Iva Vukušić, who is a historian and a genocide scholar, Assistant Professor in International History at Utrecht University, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. 

The second speaker will be dr Anna Adamska-Gallant, Ph.D., former international judge in Kosovo, head of the Judiciary Component of EU Pravo Justice in Ukraine.

The webinar focuses on the challenges and opportunities of prosecuting war crimes, and on the many difficulties ahead of Ukraine in an effort to provide some justice for survivors. Dr. Vukušić spent years working on accountability in the former Yugoslavia and The Hague, and will use that experience to provide some insights into ways forward for Ukraine. The focus will be on criminal accountability for international crimes at the ICC and within the domestic judiciary, as well as efforts to prosecute the Crime of Aggression.

The meeting will be moderated by dr Andriy Kosylo, adjunct professor at the Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialization and at the Warsaw University, Department of Criminology and Criminal Policy, he is a Board Member of the Foundation Sunflowers.

The webinar will be conducted in English and simultaneous translations into Ukrainian will be available.

The webinar is a joint event of the Project Sunflowers and the EU Pravo-Justice Project.
Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81066780577?pwd=TKYLV1lE50e4M6M2A1VZp-b7ZK_wew.JQwicx7ehWRBhoGe

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Webinar

Reparative Justice IV: Challenges of Engaging, Interviewing and Supporting Child victims / survivors / witnesses of War and Terror

This International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar series is held in collaboration with Project Sunflowers. It is a fourth in a series, following I: a conceptual introduction to reparative justice, II. key groups of traumatized victims and III. Difficulties in Listening to and Hearing Traumatized Witnesses/Victims/Survivors, all answering the call for specialized training in reparative justice for professionals and others working with them. This webinar begins the in-depth focus on engaging specifically with child victim/survivors/witnesses of the array of war’s and terror’s massive trauma to help heal and protect both child victim/survivors (family community members) and the professionals themselves from potential re/traumatization of sharing traumatic experiences. Participants are urged to view the three earlier webinars of this series prior to attending this one.

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice I: https://reportwarcrime.org/massive-trauma-and-the-healing-role-of-reparative-justice/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice II: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-ii-challenges-of-listening-when-interviewing-traumatized-witnesses/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice III: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-iii-difficulties-in-listening-to-and-hearing-traumatized-witnesses-victims-survivors/

Ukrainian-English interpretation will be provided.

Presentation will be given by Mykola Kuleba (statesman, children’s rights advocate and humanitarian; co-founder of Ukraine Without Orphans Alliance and co-founder/head of Save Ukraine – a multidisciplinary organization that repatriated 273 forcibly transferred Ukrainian children from Russia and the temporarily occupied territories), Orma Dotan (economist and business manager, who for the past twenty years focused on managing health systems, autism, and old age; on October 10 she established the Resilience Unit at the Families Forum of the Abducted and Missing and manages Sderot’s Ezra Lemarphe rehabilitation center that combines physical and mental rehabilitation), dr Oksana Senatorova (Ukrainian lawyer specializing in humanitarian law, international criminal law, human rights law and transitional justice; Legal and Policy Advisor to Geneva Call, Ukraine; expert of Council of Europe, EU, ICRC and advisor to several Ukrainian state bodies; one of the initiators of Project Sunflowers), dr Michelle Slone (full professor at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Israel; her research interests include trauma and post-traumatic reactions, resilience and its promotion in therapy, individual and group therapy for trauma exposure and cross-cultural issues related to trauma and treatment). The webinar will be moderated by dr Yael Danieli (clinical psychologist, traumatologist, victimologist and psychohistorian, Dr. Danieli is Founder and Executive Director of the International Center for the study, prevention and treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma; Director, Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children and Past-President, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies)

Link to register:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UOYMCTjxRnWA3SxqU5_pMg

News

Ewa Hofmańska attended symposium organised by the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

On 27-29 March 2024, Ewa Hofmanska, President of the Foundation Sunflowers attended a symposium organised by the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. There she gave a lecture to law students on documenting war crimes and other human rights violations in Ukraine for use in post-conflict accountability proceedings. In addition, she also participated in a panel on Witnessing and Accountability: Allocating Care in an Age of Global Crisis, where she discussed the issue of accountability for international crimes committed in Ukraine.

News

Ewa Hofmańska participation in a symposium on Ukraine at War: Life in a Time of Fear and Hope organised by The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Ewa Hofmańska, President of the Foundation Sunflowers, will participate in a symposium on Ukraine at War: Life in a Time of Fear and Hope, organised by The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University from Wednesday, March 27 through Friday, March 29, 2024.

The symposium seeks to raise public awareness about the struggle of Ukrainians to defend their democracy and culture in the face of the Russian invasion. Dr Hofmańska will be a featured speaker along with other Ukrainian activists.

More about the program, please, see: https://kenan.ethics.duke.edu/event/ukraine-at-war-life-in-a-time-of-fear-of-hope/

News

Partnership with Omnis Foundation

In partnership with Omnis Foundation, we are implementing Project Sunflowers, that mission is, among others, to raise awareness of the youth, their parents and legal representatives, of their rights as victims of the war.

Omnis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring communities in crisis by establishing health and education programs based on social responsibility. Omnis’ goal is to provide the resources necessary to achieve sustainable growth. Omnis believes that the best way to realize one’s potential is to create an environment that fosters progress.

Omnis began their work in Ukraine in 2014 in response to the immediate humanitarian needs of families and children affected by the unrest in Eastern Ukraine. Today, that conflict unfolded into a humanitarian catastrophe and put millions of civilians at risk. Omnis established partnerships and initiatives play a critical role in providing emergency medical aid and empowering doctors with resources to treat wounded and those in need of critical medical care.

Educating future generations is a part of their long-term initiatives. As they say, knowledge is power. Omnis ongoing initiatives give underprivileged children and young adults access to better education through direct sponsorship or education resources that open them up to reach their full potential.

Omnis works with the global community to develop and implement programs that help the people of Ukraine address current challenges. Omnis strives to equip individuals with the necessary tools and skills to prepare them to overcome present challenges and shift the trajectory of their life toward a brighter future.

To join Project Sunflowers, please complete the form at: https://reportwarcrime.org/volunteers/ 
or email us at: contact@projectsunflowers.org and info@omnisfoundation.org  

If you would like to share information about evidence of international crimes committed in Ukraine and/or about victims of the war, please, check how to do that here: https://reportwarcrime.org/downloads/ 




The role and powers of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP)_fb
Webinar

The role and powers of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the ICC as the ‘executive’ and ‘legislative’ organ of the ICC as ‘International Organization

Join us, virtually, on the 25th of March 2024, Monday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the a zoom webinar entitled: “The role and powers of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the ICC as the ‘executive’ and ‘legislative’ organ of the ICC as ‘International Organization”. The topic will be presented by David Donat-Cattin, who is the Adjunct Associate Professor of International Law at New York University (NYU) Center for Global Affairs (2012 to present), lecturer of International Law and the Law of International Organizations at the University of Verona, Italy.

The second speaker will be Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, the President of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 2020-2023, former Judge and President of the ICC (2009-2018, 2015-2018) and career diplomat with over thirty years of experience in international criminal law, humanitarian and human rights law.

The webinar focuses on the analysis on some critical elements on the functioning of the ASP, which should improve its effectiveness and efficacy in the application of the Rome Statute.

The meeting will be moderated by Professor Paweł Wiliński, Professor of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Chairman of the Foundation Sunflowers.

The webinar will be conducted in English.

Please, use the following link to register: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MW8drLiYQjuGTm-2FwqOJg

News

Hanna Kuczyńska joins panel discussion after the screening of the Oscar-winning documentary “20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL”

Since May 20, 2022, Mariupol has been under Russian occupation. To this day, it is virtually impossible to fully reconstruct the extent of the destruction that the city experienced and the number of victims.

It is still unknown how many people were forcibly resettled to Russia. The stories of the survivors themselves help us understand the dimension of the tragedy. Their testimonies, like Mstislav Chernov’s film, allow us to see the terrible reality of life in Mariupol under siege and during occupation.

In Poland, the testimonies of survivors are documented by four organizations – the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, OPORA in Poland, Project Sunflowers and the Rafał Lemkin’s Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine at the Pilecki Institute. However, different methodologies lead to a common goal, which is to provide people affected by international crimes with access to justice. And this takes various forms – a court trial, support in returning to social life or recognition of historical truth.

After the screening of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL on March 17, 2024, there was a debate with representatives of these organizations about the consequences of the siege and what life is like in occupied Mariupol.

The meeting was hosted by Agnieszka Lichnerowicz and the speakers included:

• Olga Kotsiuruba from the OPORA Civic Network and the OPORA Foundation in Poland

• Prof. Hanna Kuczyńska from the Project Sunflowers and the Department of Criminal Law of the Institute of Legal Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences

• Yulia Miziukina from the Rafał Lemkin’s Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine

• Elena Wasylew from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights

News

Ewa Hofmańska receives Epiq Woman Award for Justice and Advocacy granted by the New York City Bar Association

We are thrilled to announce that Ewa Hofmańska, President and Co-Founder of Foundation Sounflowers that runs Project Sunflowers, has been honored with the esteemed Epiq Woman Award for Justice and Advocacy during the 5th Annual International Law Conference On the Status of Women, organized by the New York City Bar Association.

Ewa’s dedication to supporting communities affected by conflict, particularly in Ukraine, has been instrumental in driving our mission forward. As part of the Project Sunflowers, she has spearheaded initiatives to collect information about evidence of international crimes committed in Ukraine and victims of the war, organise open webinars to discuss the legal and social aspects of armed conflict, expand the network of organisations supporting Ukrainian refugees in the countries covered by the Project, and search for centres of professional psychological support for survivors of the war in Ukraine.

Her recognition with this award underscores the incredible impact of her work and serves as a testament to her unwavering commitment to justice and advocacy. As an organization, we are immensely proud to have Ewa leading our efforts and congratulate her on this well-deserved honor.

News

Hanna Kuczyńska joins UNHCR meeting on mental health support for Ukrainian refugees

On the 8th March 2024 Hanna Kuczyńska, Board Member of the Project Sunflowers, took part in the meeting organized by the UNHCR Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Network. MHPSN it is a growing global platform for connecting people, networks and organizations, for sharing resources and for building knowledge related to mental health and psychosocial support both in emergency settings and in situations of chronic hardship. This meeting’s focus was safety of refugees, allocating appropriate resources and considering including mental health and psychosocial support in the NGOs’ programs (e.g. psychological first aid training), key concepts and best practices in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

In the meeting active participation took: Przemysław Marszał from UNHCR, Katarzyna Nowakowska from Feminoteka, Elena Wasylew from Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Olia Kotsiuruba from Fundacji Opora, Hanna Kuczyńska from Project Sunflowers and Anna Rzym from International Rescue Committee.

During the meeting supporting efforts for justice for victims were discussed, such as providing information to investigative authorities in Poland and Ukraine as well as to the ICC, giving voice to refugees who wish to testify about the injustices they have experienced, historical memory, raising awareness in Poland about the consequences of crimes and their impact on the lives of victims and entire communities (Physical health, psychological consequences, economic situation); disseminating land to ensure access to the justice system and the identification and rehabilitation of victims; documenting organizations: Lemkin Center; Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Opora, Project Sunflowers.

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Webinar

Reparative Justice III: Difficulties in Listening to and Hearing Traumatized Witnesses / Victims / Survivors

This International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar series is held in collaboration with Project Sunflowers. It is a third in a series, following I: a conceptual introduction to reparative justice and II. key groups of traumatized victims. This time the webinar will focus on elements of the conspiracy of silence ubiquitously present after trauma, harmful both to the victims and society. Whereas society has a moral obligation to share its members’ pain, professionals and investigators of all related disciplines have, in addition, a professional, contractual obligation. When we fail to listen, explore, understand, and help, we too inflict the “trauma after the trauma”, or “the ‘second injury’ to victims” by maintaining and perpetuating the conspiracy of silence. The webinar will report and elaborate on findings detailing the multiple ways professional listening is compromised and its implications to reparative justice.  Participants are urged to view the earlier webinars on this series prior to attending this one.

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice I: https://reportwarcrime.org/massive-trauma-and-the-healing-role-of-reparative-justice/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice II: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-ii-challenges-of-listening-when-interviewing-traumatized-witnesses/

Ukrainian-English interpretation will be provided.

Presentation will be given by dr Yael Danieli (clinical psychologist, traumatologist, victimologist and psychohistorian, Dr. Danieli is Founder and Executive Director of the International Center for the study, prevention and treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma; Director, Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children and Past-President, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies) and dr Yurii Belousov (head of the War Crimes Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine (PGO); former head of the Department for Combating Violations of Human Rights in the Law Enforcement and Penitentiary Sectors and the PGO’s specialized Unit for Combating Torture) will be the discussant. The webinar will be moderated by dr Veronika Plotnikova (head of the Coordination Center for the Support of Victims and Witnesses of the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine; co-author the practical commentary on the Code of Professional Ethics of Prosecutors and a trainer in the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine, and national expert of projects of Council of Europe).

Link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OAanaRA_QzSObSkyyOuoEQ#/registration