Now open for registration: Mobilizing Human Rights and Resistance Workshop — Media, Law, and Accountability in Wartime Ukraine
This two-day workshop brings together scholars, human rights professionals, and journalists to explore how law, media, and accountability intersect during wartime, with a particular focus on Ukraine. It offers an opportunity to share the findings of the Mobilising Human Rights and Resistance project and to collaborate on ways to strengthen international human rights accountability and post-conflict justice mechanisms.
The workshop opens with a public panel discussion on war crimes accountability efforts and the creation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Reflecting on the significance of the tribunal, Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, noted:
“This is a tribunal to judge between victims and aggressors, between impunity and accountability. Without accountability, there can be no lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe as a whole.”
The following day turns to the role of national and supranational accountability mechanisms, as well as the work of NGOs and media in documenting and communicating war crimes.
Highlighting the workshop’s aim to connect research and practice, Dr Agnieszka Kubal, Associate Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford, explained:
“Bridging the gap between practice and scholarship, the event creates space for dialogue between academics specialising in human rights and humanitarian law and those on the ground documenting and litigating war crimes.”
See detailed programme below. The workshop is free to attend but registration is essential. Register via link: https://forms.office.com/e/qVnTFTgk0x .
The event takes place on 26–27 March 2026 at the University of Oxford. Organised by Dr Agnieszka Kubal and Hanna Oliinyk, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. In case of any questions, please reach out to hanna.oliinyk@sant.ox.ac.uk.
| DAY 1 — Thursday, 26 March 2026 | |
| Time | Session |
| 15:30–18:00 | Welcome address by Prof Rachel Murray, Director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights OPEN EVENT: From Nuremberg to Ukraine: The Quest for Accountability and the Special Tribunal An open discussion on the quest for accountability for Russia's aggression against Ukraine — including the establishment and future of the Special Tribunal. The panel brings together key figures shaping the international legal response to war crimes, connecting legal innovation with broader questions of accountability, moral reckoning, and political will. 📍 Auditorium, Bonavero Lecture Theatre Speakers: Dr Mykola Gnatovskyy – Ukrainian Judge at the European Court of Human Rights Dr Tsvetelina van Benthem – Lecturer in International Law, University of Oxford and University of Reading Prof Adam Bodnar – Polish lawyer, educator, human rights activist; former Minister of Justice (2023–2025) Oleksandra Matviychuk – Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Kyiv; Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2022)
Moderator: Dr Agnieszka Kubal – Associate Professor, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University |
| DAY 2 — Friday, 27 March 2026 | |
| Time | Session |
| 10:00–11:30 | PANEL 2: The Role of National and Supranational Accountability Mechanisms in Addressing Human Rights and Other Serious Violations of International Law This session explores how both national courts and supranational institutions — including the ECtHR, ICC, ICJ, and UN human rights mechanisms — respond to large-scale human rights violations during armed conflicts. Speakers will discuss the potential and limits of these mechanisms in shaping accountability and justice, including interactions between domestic and international levels. 📍 The Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College Speakers: Dr Kateryna Busol – Associate Professor, Department of International and European Law, Kyiv Mohyla Academy Dr Dilek Kurban – Senior Researcher, University of Amsterdam; Research Fellow, Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL) Dr Agnieszka Kubal – Associate Professor, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University
Moderator: Dr Beata Huzska – Research Fellow, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University |
| 11:30–12:30 | LUNCH BREAK |
| 12:30–14:00 | PANEL 3: NGOs and Media: Shaping Legal Narratives and War Crimes Investigations This session focuses on how Ukrainian NGOs and international media collaborate to document and communicate human rights violations, shaping public understanding and future accountability processes. 📍 The Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College Speakers: Dr Sasha Dovzhyk – Director, INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange (Ukraine) Evgeny Maloletka – Associated Press photojournalist; Pulitzer Prize winner; covered Mariupol siege (March 2022) Maksym Demydenko – Executive Director and Co-founder, Ukraine War Archive Anastasiia Loza – Communications Director, Media Initiative for Human Rights
Moderator: Hanna Oliinyk – Researcher in Sociology of Human Rights; DPhil student, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University |
