On August 28, 2025, a training was held in Mykolaiv for prosecutors, investigators, lawyers, and human rights defenders on advancing victim-centered justice approaches and building cases on crimes committed against the LGBTQI+ community. This was the second training in a series conducted by the NGO “PROJECTOR” with support from the EU Project “Pravo-Justice”.
LGBTQI+ community representatives often face discrimination, which additionally complicates the investigation of crimes committed against them, especially if such crimes occurred in occupied territories.
Chairman of the Board of the NGO “PROJECTOR” Vitalii Matveiev opened the training.
Vitalii Matveiev is a lawyer, authorized representative at the ICC Prosecutor’s Office on accountability for gender-based crimes. He thanked those present at the training: “We realize that Ukraine is moving toward European integration and must fulfill many obligations to the European Union. One of them is ensuring access to justice, humane justice. This must happen so that every victim feels protection and support. We are ready to continue working toward realizing access to justice for all victims. I thank you for having an interest in this.”
Vitalii then gave the floor to Anna Stakhanova, Chief Expert on accountability for international crimes of the EU Project “Pravo-Justice”.
She emphasized the importance of documenting international crimes.
“International crimes against LGBTQI+ and the sensitivity of interaction with community representatives in this area require special attention. Large-scale persecution in temporarily occupied territories can be qualified as crimes against humanity, and we must develop methodologies for effective work with victims and responses to their statements in order to ensure justice and accountability for committed crimes.”
During the training, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and civil society representatives present had the opportunity to work on the topic of handling cases on war crimes and crimes against the LGBTQI+ community.
They were assisted by highly qualified trainers: Tymur Korotkyi, member of the International Expert Council on Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict at the Office of the Prosecutor General, Candidate of Legal Sciences; Mykola Pashkovskyi, senior researcher at the V.V. Stashys Scientific Research Institute for the Study of Crime Problems of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Candidate of Legal Sciences; Karolina Palaichuk, lawyer, human rights defender, board member of the NGO “PROJECTOR”; and Vitalii Matveiev, lawyer and Chairman of the Board of the NGO “PROJECTOR”.
Training participants became familiar with the term SOGI, learned how the LGBT abbreviation emerged, why gender does not always equal a person’s biological sex, what gender-based violence is, what specific features exist in documenting war crimes against LGBTQI+ community representatives for international judicial bodies, and much more. Special attention was paid to the possibilities of using open source information (OSINT) to increase the effectiveness of investigative actions.
The NGO “PROJECTOR”, with support from the EU Project “Pravo-Justice”, will continue to conduct similar trainings. Trainings have already been held in Odesa and Mykolaiv. They are also planned in other cities of Ukraine. Follow announcements on the organization’s website and social media.
This publication was prepared by the NGO “PROJECTOR” within the framework of a grant provided by the EU Project “Pravo-Justice”, implemented by Expertise France. Its content is the sole responsibility of the NGO “PROJECTOR” and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union.