PILPG Policy Planning, in collaboration with our law firm partners, have produced legal memoranda that offer in-depth legal analysis on the existing international law and several domestic legal frameworks, as well as relevant past precedents on pursuing accountability for atrocity crimes.
In modern conflicts, the deliberate targeting and destruction of cultural heritage aims to erase the history and identity of communities—a tactic that remains egregiously under-prosecuted.
To support Ukraine’s pursuit of justice during the ongoing Russian war of aggression, the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), in collaboration with Davis Polk & Wardwell, has developed a comprehensive legal paper.
This resource examines the evolution of cultural war crimes in international law, analyzes key legal frameworks such as the 1954 Hague Convention, and identifies lessons from prior prosecutions. It also provides practical guidance tailored to Ukraine’s justice system, addressing procedural and evidentiary challenges to ensure robust accountability mechanisms for the destruction of cultural property.
The following materials provide additional information on Accountability for atrocity crimes related to the War in Ukraine.
This blog post discusses a proposal for the establishment of a High War Crimes Court in Ukraine. To facilitate fair and effective accountability for the atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine, PILPG, together with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and jurists and legal experts from Ukraine, prepared draft legislation for a High War Crimes Court for Ukraine to prosecute atrocity crimes. Drawn from the Law on the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine of 2019 and best practices of internationalized domestic war crimes courts around the globe, this draft Law provides the template for a Ukrainian High War Crimes Court to prosecute atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine since November 2013.
