No Peace Without Justice: Survivor Voices and Accountability for Crimes in Ukraine
17 November 2026 17:00-19:30, Bankhall, Het Nutshuis, The Hague
Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice. Justice has a different meaning for each survivor. It is therefore crucial that the stories of survivors are heard and understood as part of the broader accountability process.
On November 17, 2026, as part of the Hague Justice Week, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) and the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civil Initiatives (EUCCI) organise a discussion on accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine, as part of the project “Justice and Accountability for Ukraine: Strengthening the Role of Survivor- and Civil-Society-Led Initiatives”, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Held under the theme ’80 Years and Beyond: Renewing the Promise of Peace and Justice Through Law’, this panel discussion will combine lived experience and legal expertise and aims to host a productive discussion focused on the victims’ needs and realistic possibilities for achieving justice.
Speakers
Three survivors from Ukraine who lived under the occupation will share their stories: Maryna Suprun, Valentyna Pestushko and Volodymyr Scherbachenko, the Executive Director of EUCCI. They will be joined by Dr Iva Vukušić, Assistant Professor at Utrecht University and international expert on accountability for mass atrocities. She has more than 10 years of experience at war crimes tribunals and in advising governments on accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine. Additionally, an expert from the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U) will join the discussion to share their institutional perspective on the justice opportunities for victims. Céline Guyénot, programme officer at NHC, will moderate the event.
Stories from life under occupation
EUCCI will present Uninvited, a book that compiles 25 personal stories from Ukrainians who lived under Russian occupation between 2014 and 2022. Contributions of residents from Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions describe human rights violations they suffered, such as ”violations of basic freedoms, physical threats, lack of access to water, food, medical care and information, and homes that became places of confinement”.
Event details:
- Date: 17 November 2026
- Time: 17:00-19:30
- Venue: Bankhall, Het Nutshuis. Riviervismarkt 5, 2513 AM The Hague, Netherlands
- Language: English, Ukrainian with simultaneous interpretation
- Registration: Link
Event programme
17:00-17:30 – Walk in, tea/coffee
17:30-18:30 – Panel discussion
18:30-19:00 – Q&A
19:00-19:30 – Drinks and snacks
19:30 – End of the event
About EUCCI
Eastern-Ukrainian Center of Civil Initiatives is a public human rights organisation with more than 15 years of experience. Since the beginning of the war in Donbas, the Center has been working to restore justice and peace in Ukraine. We document cases of human rights violations, provide legal assistance to victims, and foster public dialogue on issues critical to restoring peace and justice.
About the NHC
The Netherlands Helsinki Committee is a non-governmental organisation that promotes human rights, the rule of law and right-based justice in all countries of wider Europe, including Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia as well as the European Union. Building on our track record of close to 40 years, we consider it to be our mission to inspire, engage and support catalysts of change in building just and rights-respecting societies.
This event is co-funded by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands.
