Launch of The Reckoning Project’s Report

“Propaganda, Impunity, Destruction, and Nothing but Recurrence: Russia’s Violations of International Law in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine”. Guernica 37’s Ibrahim Olabi and Isabella Kirwan presented the report to State representatives in Geneva at a high-level round-table on 10th September 2024 hosted by the Permanent Mission of Finland.

This report, the first of its kind, presents a comprehensive analysis of Russia’s systematic documented violations of international law across three major conflicts: Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine. By drawing on historical evidence and reports by international organisations, the report highlights the recurring patterns of impunity that have allowed these violations to persist, ultimately culminating in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

The report is directed towards the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence. It aims to inform and influence the international community’s approach to accountability and prevention, emphasising the urgent need for a coordinated response to ensure that such atrocities are not repeated.

The Reckoning Project’s Report

The launch event featured a panel of esteemed experts and witnesses from each of the conflicts, including TRP’s Chief Legal Counsel, Ibrahim Olabi; Dr. Hamza Al-Kateab, a Syrian doctor and human rights advocate who founded and directed Al-Quds Hospital in Aleppo; Angelina Kariakina, an award-winning Kyiv-based journalist and co-founder of the Public Interest Journalism Lab; Zaynap Gashaeva, an award winning Chechen human rights activist and creator of the Chechen Archive; Isabella Kirwan, a London-based barrister and author of the report; Bernard Duhaime, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence; and Mr Yurii Bielousov, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, Ukraine Prosecutor General’s Office.

Panel of esteemed experts and witnesses from each of the conflicts

The report is now available online here.