Additional Context: This information was collected by Human Rights Watch in an interview with a representative of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, or UHHR. A decade-long partnership ended between UHHR and USAID, which had taken place under the 'Rule of Law and Human Rights' initiative. The most recent iteration of the partnership worked to strengthen accountability for human rights abuses, war crimes, and crimes against humanity stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This loss of capacity has jeopardized the work for 203 ongoing human rights litigation processes supported across 25 legal aid offices in the country, 90% of which are at immediate risk of closure following the withdrawal of U.S. support.

Devex Researcher Note: Since 2014, the program helped protect the rights of more than 26,000 conflict-affected persons and trained more than 2,000 legal practitioners and human rights activists, while supporting the government in standardizing documentation of human rights abuses.

Source: Human Rights Watch