What do we want to achieve by obtaining and publishing information about war crimes as journalists, documentarians, and civic activists? How do we not forget about the main goal of our work — establishing justice in the interests of victims — and not replace it with our own ambitions, clickbait headlines, shocking video sequences, and such inappropriate hype?
As part of the discussion, we will discuss the key principles of working with the sensitive topic of war crimes and people who have lived through traumatic experiences. We will outline the legal and ethical guidelines that should be followed when communicating with victims in order not to retraumatize them. Eventually, we will try to find a balance between the interests of witnesses and the fact that the documented material is to become a weighty argument in the scales of justice.
Speakers:
Tetiana Katrychenko, executive director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights
Yaroslav Kyryyenko, head of the war crimes documentation department at the Educational House of Human Rights NGO
Tetyana Popovych, mother of civilian Vladyslav Popovych, abducted in Bucha, volunteer
Veronika Plotnikova, Head of the Coordination Center for Victims and Witnesses Support at the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Moderator:
Stanislav Miroshnychenko, editor, head of information at the Media Initiative for Human Rights
Organizers: Media Initiative for Human Rights and Docudays NGO