On June 22nd, UpRights took part in the presentation of the Benchbook on the Adjudication of International Crimes under Ukrainian Domestic Law. Building upon a judicial need assessment promoted by the USAID Justice for All Activity in July 2022, the Benchbook was developed in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Supreme Court and the National School of Judges of Ukraine by Ukrainian judges, UpRights and Global Rights Compliance supported by MATRA-Ukraine Project.

Since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian courts have received 124 war crimes cases rendering 33 judgments with 91 cases currently pending. Having acknowledged the necessity for the Ukrainian judicial system to prosecute and judge an increasing amount of war crimes, the Benchbook was created to provide judges with a structured framework to adjudicate international crimes in accordance with international and domestic norms and procedures.

By compiling relevant international legal sources, including international treaties, judicial decisions, and academic commentaries, and evaluating their applicability at the domestic level in the context of international crimes, the publication aims to assist judges in the interpretation and application of the relevant domestic offences. The Benchbook is designed to help promote accountability for international crimes by providing critical support to judicial processes at the national level, strengthening the legal framework and increasing the capacity of courts to draft high-quality and well-reasoned judgments in international crimes cases.

UpRights contribution to the drafting of this important document is intended to help address the growing number of criminal proceedings being registered, classified and adjudicated in the Ukrainian context in order to support the important work of the National School of Judges in pursuing the administration of justice for international crimes.

UpRights is pleased to announce it has developed an online transitional justice course for civil servants and local administrators in Ukraine in coordination with the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service and the Hague Academy for Local Governance. The course introduces the fundamentals of transitional justice and its role in helping society cope with the past, ensure accountability, serve justice and promote reconciliation.

Through four distinct modules, participants gain practical knowledge concerning four primary objectives of transitional justice: accountability, reparations, strengthening the rule of law and fostering trust and promoting truth seeking and reconciliation. Specific transitional justice mechanisms which help to realise these objectives are covered in detail while concrete challenges affecting conflict-affected communities in Ukraine are considered through interactive scenarios. The course emphasises the importance of empowering local government to collaborate with national actors and provide accessible, victim-centred services to address conflict and post-conflict challenges.

Building upon the online transitional justice course, the Hague Academy for Local Governance and UpRights co-director Asa Solway and legal advisor Sofia Poulopoulou conducted a training of trainers on transitional justice for civil servants in Ukraine. During the training, representatives of the Ukrainian civil service, members of the judiciary and academics discussed relevant tools to conduct the training on transitional justice.

On 13 June, UpRights will lead a training on the promotion of human rights for participants of the Matra Rule of Law Training Programme led by the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, the Leiden Law School, and The Hague Academy for Local Governance. The Programme is an initiative aimed at strengthening the rule of law for officials of national governments. Through the training program participants gain practical skills and knowledge on rule of law themes and obtain the necessary tools to implement human rights standards effectively.

UpRights will provide an overview on the role of international human rights law in the effective documentation of human rights violations. Participants will interactively engage on issues relating to the cooperation between national actors and NGOs to safeguard fundamental rights.

Participants will also reflect on specific challenges in their own countries to identify areas for reform and exchange practices with peers to mutually enhance their knowledge in developing sustainable policies for rights protection. By providing participants with an overview of mechanisms and policies that can be employed to implement internationally agreed standards, the training programme empowers them to implement the newly gained knowledge and insights in their respective organisations.

UpRights co-founders Asa Solway and Valerie Gabard conducted a two-day training for civil society organisations in South Korea on pursuing accountability in different forums for crimes in North Korea.

The training outlined accountability mechanisms with a particular emphasis on submissions before the International Criminal Court. It set out jurisdictional challenges and provided guidance on building effective and persuasive Article 15 communications. The impact and likelihood of different pathways were outlined including recent developments concerning universal jurisdiction, the jurispurdence of the International Court and the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing international criminal law and human rights law. UpRights trainers’ further set out relevant modes of liability and related issues of international criminal law.

The training also focused on best practices related to gathering and analysing evidence in the specific context of civil society in South Korea. International standards and the importance of effective evidence collection was discussed in detail as a foundation to pursue multiple paths to ensuring accountability for victims.

The training built on UpRights recent experience submitting a successful Article 15 Communication to the International Criminal Court concerning crimes against migrants in Libya and its ongoing work to develop the capacity of national actors to effectively leverage domestic and international law to pursue accountability for victims of serious human rights violations.

From 12 to 14 January , UpRights Co-founder, Valérie Gabard, led a training in Niamey (Niger) for the Commission Nationale des Droits Humains (“CNDH”) designed to improve the effectiveness of drafting human rights investigation reports.

Around 20 participants, technical staff at the central and regional level and certain Commissioners from the CNDH actively participated in the training. Over the course of three days, participants shared their experience in relation to the drafting of human rights reports. The training provided participants with the tools to analyse information collected during human rights investigations and effectively report on them in order to obtain positive change. The training involved presentation of best practices, practical analysis and drafting exercises and targeted discussions and experience sharing on exisiting reports of the CNDH.

These capacity-building initiatives are part of the “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Niger” project “Adalci Project” implemented by a consortium of organisations including the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), Freedom House, Search for Common Ground and PACT. This four-year program is funded by USAID.

This activity was building on the expertise acquired by the technical staff and Commissioners of the CNDH last October during a first training on investigation’s best practices.

From 11 to 15 October, UpRights Co-founder, Valérie Gabard, in coordination with an on-site facilitator and investigator, led two trainings designed to build capacity to investigate serious human rights violations and abuses during crises to support victims in their quest for justice in Niamey, Niger.

The first training involved 25 participants, composed of technical staff at the central and regional level and certain Commissioners from the Commission Nationale des Droits Humains (“CNDH”). It was a targeted and practical three-day training. The training aimed to strengthen existing investigation practices of the CNDH and to equip participants with best practices to conduct secure, ethical and victim-centered human rights investigations with a focus on victim and witness protection and investigation planning. This training was followed by a two-day training on the same topic for 20 representatives of civil society organizations located in conflict-affected areas of Niger and who cooperate with the CNDH.

These capacity-building initiatives are part of the “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Niger” project “Adalci Project” implemented by a consortium of organisations including the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), Freedom House, Search for Common Ground and PACT. This four-year program is funded by USAID.

On 23 to 25 November 2021, 15 participants composed of technical staff and certain Commissioners from the Commission Nationale des Droits Humains (CNDH) undertook a training designed to build capacity to draft investigative reports on allegations of human rights violations. The training was led remotely by UpRights Co-founder, Valérie Gabard, in coordination with on-site facilitator and human rights specialist Sawadogo Lamoussa Carol.

The training formed part of the three year “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Burkina Faso” program implemented by a consortium of organisations led by the American Bar Association Initiative for the Rule of Law, and including Freedom House and Search For Common Ground and Pact, was funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

The training is an important step towards improved human rights reports, effective collection of evidence and ultimately an improved human rights situation.

For more information click here

From 26 July to 31 July 2021, Valérie Gabard, co-founder of UpRights delivered two trainings for members of the National Commission for Human Rights and for members of civil society organisations on best practices for the documentation of serious human violations and international crimes as part of the “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Burkina Faso” program (DHAJ) lead by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI).

From 26 to 28 July 2021, UpRights delivered a training for the members and the staff of the Burkina Faso National Commission for Human Rights. The three-day training centred on techniques to improve the documentation of serious human violations and international crimes in the context of crises or conflict situations.

The deterioration of the security situation in Burkina Faso in recent years has led to an increase in the number and a change in the nature of serious human rights violations and abuses committed in the country. The training was designed to assist the commissioners and staff of the National Commission for Human Rights in carrying out their human rights documentation mandate in this context. The goal of the training, according to Valérie Gabard, co-founder of UpRights “is to give this relatively young institution a systematic framework and the tools to facilitate the work of investigators in the field”.

This training was followed by a two-day training on the same topic for civil societies organisations (field partners of the National Commission for Human Rights) and members of two working groups within the Commission. It was the first capacity-building training for Civil Society Organizations from the region, and it aimed at harmonizing the practices of the organisations for the documentation of serious human violations and international crimes in the context of Burkina Faso.

“This training is welcome because it meets the needs of our work in the field as members of an organization for the defense of human rights, particularly in terms of information collection, treatment, approach, organization of field missions, and especially of documentation and data backup. Given the situation the country is going through, this training will allow us to be more productive”, said at the end of the training Ousséni Maïga, Secretary general of the Center for Good Governance in the Sahel, Vice-president of the working group “Service to victims including legal and judicial assistance”.

These two capacity building trainings are part of the “Human Rights and Access to Justice in Burkina Faso” program (DHAJ), a program funded by the American Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by a consortium of organisations comprising the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI – leader of the project) but also Freedom House, Search For Common Ground, and Pact.

To learn more, follow the links to the Burkina Faso National Commission for Human Rights website:

Renforcement de capacités : Les membres de la CNDH formés aux techniques d’investigation

Investigation des cas de violation des droits humains : Des OSCs formées afin d’harmoniser les pratiques

On 14 June 2021, UpRights co-Founder, Valérie Gabard, participated in the virtual seminar ‘Strengthening Domestic Capacity to Prosecute and Adjudicate International and Transnational Crimes in Africa’.

The high-level seminar, organised by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, the Asser Institute and the Antonio Cassese Initiative, followed a training course held in February 2020 in Arusha, Tanzania and an online training in March 2021. 17 judges and prosecutors from Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Niger participated in the series of lectures of the high-level seminar.

UpRights conducted an interactive exercise for the Judges and Prosecutors’ oriented around the type of international crimes committed by armed groups and defence and security forces in respective West African contexts. The training allowed the participants to apply challenges present in their respective jurisdictions. Participants working individually and in groups identified whether war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed. The focus of the exercise was around the prosecution of international crimes in the context of the fight against terrorism with a particular focus on sexual and gender-based violence.