Accountability for International Crimes in Ukraine: A Seminar by the NCHR

Opening by State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson

As part of Oslo Peace Days, the seminar was opened by State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson, who underscored that accountability is vital to securing a just and lasting peace and the importance of sustained support to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to pursue justice. Petersson noted that this is why Norway, through the Nansen Support Programme, is contributing in various areas, including the development of skills among Ukrainian authorities to conduct fair, rights-based investigations that document these crimes.

In his concluding remarks, the State Secretary emphasized: “the human dimension must be at the heart of any credible path to peace,” and “justice is not built simply on its own; it is built case by case, testimony by testimony, through the dedicated work of those who document, investigate, and seek accountability.”

The Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and the Special Tribunal

Further, Erik Møse, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, emphasized that the UN acted rapidly in establishing the Commission of inquiry. Møse said that the Commission—whose broad mandate includes investigating human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law—is not a court; rather, it lays the groundwork for accountability. In other words, national and international mechanisms must carry forward prosecutions and accountability measures based on the Commission’s findings.

The seminar then continued with a keynote by Mykola Yurlov from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, shifting the focus to the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Yurlov underscored that this will be a one‑of‑a‑kind tribunal designed to address a specific gap: the ICC cannot currently examine the crime of aggression due to jurisdictional limitations for the crime of aggression. The Special Tribunal aims to fill this gap by investigating and prosecuting the top political and military leadership responsible for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

A call for the release of OSCE staff

Marharyta Shabanova delivered a speech calling for the release of her husband, OSCE employee Dmytro Shabanov, and his colleagues, Maksym Petrov and Vadym Golda, Ukrainians, civilians, who have been unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation since the spring of 2022—and who remain in unlawful detention. Shabanov was serving with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Luhansk when they were detained. In a non‑transparent proceeding, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison, accused of high treason by the Supreme Court in Luhansk. Later he was transferred in 2025 to a strict‑regime penal colony in Omsk, Siberia (Russian Federation). During their detention, Shabanova stressed that they are being subjected to grave human rights violations.

“If you ask me if I still believe in justice, I would say I do. But belief does not bring a loved one home. At this point, belief without action feels like a cruel echo of what should have been. They should have been free; they should never have been detained or stolen from us for years. For families like mine, this is the daily reality. The detention of Dmytro and his colleagues is a violation of international law and a violation of human dignity” – Marharyta Shabanova.

Marharyta’s testimony was a stark reminder of why investigations and accountability are vital: it is about protecting people whose lives are being devastated by the war and its consequences. Throughout this year, ULAG has persistently advocated for the release of OSCE officials unjustly detained across multiple levels and platforms, collaborating closely with the human rights center ZMINA and various other Ukrainian human rights organizations.

Panel discussion on the Special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion outlining the key features of the Special Tribunal, bringing perspectives from academia, international institutions, and the Norwegian government. The panel featured Gaiane Nuridzhanian (UiT), a Ukrainian lawyer and former lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights; Irene Suominen, Legal Adviser at the Council of Europe and Kristian Jervell, Director General at Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The discussion was moderated by Geir Ulfstein, Professor Emeritus at the University of Oslo.

Recording of the seminar

You can watch the recording of the seminar here.