On 19 November 2025, a training session for prosecutors, investigators, lawyers, and human rights defenders took place in Chernihiv. It focused on promoting victim-centred justice approaches and building cases concerning crimes committed against the LGBTQI+ community. This was the fifth workshop in a series conducted by the NGO “PROJECTOR” as part of a grant provided by the EU Project Pravo-Justice.
The training’s theme was driven by real-world challenges faced by LGBTQI+ people in Ukraine: cases of discrimination remain widespread, creating additional barriers to effective investigations of crimes committed against members of this community. These difficulties become even more acute when it comes to crimes committed in temporarily occupied territories, where access to justice is limited and victims often fear seeking help.
Vitalii Matvieiev, Chair of the Board of the NGO “PROJECTOR”, lawyer, and counsel at the International Criminal Court on gender-based crimes, addressed the participants:
“Ukraine is confidently moving along the path of European integration, and this means not only reforms on paper but real changes within the justice sector. Everyone who has suffered from a crime must feel that the state hears and protects them. We continue working to ensure that access to justice becomes a reality for all victims, without exception.”
Anna Stakhanova, Lead Expert of the EU Project Pravo-Justice on accountability for international crimes, emphasized the importance of documenting such crimes:
“Documenting crimes committed against members of the LGBTQI+ community requires a deep understanding of context and particular sensitivity when interacting with victims. Testimonies collected from temporarily occupied territories may indicate possible elements of international crimes. Our task is to create effective tools that will ensure justice and genuine accountability for such offences.”
During the workshop, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and civic representatives worked on building cases related to war crimes and other international crimes committed against the LGBTQI+ community. They were supported by highly qualified trainers:
— Tymur Korotkyi, PhD in Law and member of the International Expert Council on Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict under the Office of the Prosecutor General;
— Karolina Palaiichuk, lawyer, human rights defender, and board member of the NGO “PROJECTOR”;
— Mykola Pashkovskyi, PhD in Law and Senior Research Fellow at the V. V. Stashis Research Institute for the Study of Crime Problems of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine;
— Vitalii Matvieiev, lawyer and Chair of the Board of the NGO “PROJECTOR”.
Participants deepened their knowledge of SOGI issues, learned how the LGBT abbreviation emerged, why gender does not always correspond to a person’s biological sex, what gender-based violence is, what specific considerations exist when documenting crimes against LGBTQI+ individuals for international judicial bodies, and much more. Special attention was given to using open-source information (OSINT) to improve the effectiveness of investigative actions.
Neither air-raid sirens nor Russian drone attacks in Chernihiv on that day disrupted the training: participants quickly moved to a shelter and continued working on the key presentations.
With support from the EU Project Pravo-Justice, the NGO “PROJECTOR” will continue conducting such training sessions. Similar workshops have already been held in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and twice in Chernihiv. They are also planned in other cities across Ukraine. Follow announcements on the NGO’s website and social media.
This publication was prepared by the NGO “PROJECTOR” within 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 views of the European Union.