The principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’ is gaining ground, a real boon for survivors
There was no fear, no defeat in the eyes of Valentina (not her real name) – only quiet determination. She spoke calmly about the Russian soldiers, her younger son’s age, who raped her and her friend in a small village outside of Kyiv. When her friend’s husband tried to stop them, they shot him dead. I asked whether she wanted to pursue the case in court, and she did not hesitate. “To be able to live, I need to see him either dead or behind bars,” she said.
I have been documenting war crimes in different parts of the world for more than two decades, and every time I agonise about how to ask survivors whether they want to pursue justice. At what is probably the most traumatic moment of their lives, offering up an abstract concept like justice as a solution seems insensitive. But, every time, people like Valentina prove me wrong.
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