Our story – Ukraine Legal Network

Our History

There are over 95.000 Ukrainians refugees in the Netherlands, many of whom are survivors or witnesses of atrocity crimes and human rights violations.

Ukraine Legal Network was initiated as a bottom-up, survivor-led project to respond to the legal and non-legal needs of the Ukrainian community. We do this by organising, informing and empowering Ukrainian legal practitioners, human rights activists and law students who reside in the Netherlands, and actively utilising accountability options available in the Dutch legal system or international mechanisms based in the Netherlands, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

By enabling Ukrainian survivors of international crimes to participate in the justice mechanisms taking place in the Netherlands, we aim to contribute to victim-centric justice processes.

2023

January 2023

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia brought about an unprecedented international response.

To contribute to ongoing justice processes, The Nuhanovic Foundation began assessing the needs of the Ukrainian community in the Netherlands.

May 2023

Community Outreach & Engagement

Ukraine Legal Network (ULN) was established as a sub-project of The Nuhanovic Foundation to assist the growing Ukrainian community in the Netherlands in their legal and non-legal needs.

ULN conducted extensive community outreach and consulted with survivor groups, Ukrainian lawyers, and Ukrainian civil society organisations to understand the requirements of Ukrainian survivors and victims, in order to design a victim and survivor-led response.

August 2023

Identifying The Gap

Our research and community outreach outlined significant barriers faced by the Ukrainian community in the Netherlands in their pursuit of justice.

We found that Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands were often uninformed about justice options available to them, partly due to insufficient community engagement and outreach. Additionally, civil society organisations and official Dutch authorities with ties to the Ukrainian community lacked the information and expertise to work with justice mechanisms located in the Netherlands.

As a result, many Ukrainians did not know where to turn to with questions regarding justice and reparation.

November 2023

Bridging The Gap

Having identified a gap, Ukraine Legal Network was formally launched as a survivor-led initiative that aims to play a crucial role in empowering Ukrainian survivors of international crimes to engage with the justice mechanisms available in the Netherlands.

Our Mission

Our mission is to support Ukrainian survivors
in the Netherlands and beyond in their fight for
justice and redress.

ULN is dedicated to helping Ukrainian survivors of international crimes and human rights violations access justice and establish accountability for the harm they have suffered. Our mission is to reflect victim priorities, and feedback from the Ukrainian community in the Netherlands lies at the heart of our efforts.

Our Vision

Our vision is a world where victim engagement is at the heart of justice processes.

We strive to create accessible justice processes and facilitate victim engagement by contributing to ongoing accountability efforts, ensuring that these efforts are augmented through the participation of the Ukrainian survivor community. As a civil society organisation with deep ties to domestic and international justice mechanisms in the Netherlands, we want to make access to justice for Ukrainian survivors in the Netherlands a reality.