Additional Context: This information was collected by Human Rights Watch, or HRW, in an interview with a representative from Truth Hounds, an organization that investigates war crimes in Ukraine and eastern Europe. The project collaborated with Ukrainian investigative authorities to build cases that could be brought to trial in other countries under the principle of universal jurisdiction. It also documented information that could be submitted to the International Criminal Court's, or ICC, prosecutor’s office.

According to HRW, U.S. cuts affected the team's ability to collect data, identify and work with survivors, and build up prosecution cases to be presented at the ICC. The loss of funding for transport and accommodation, for example, made it impossible for the organization to quickly deploy research teams to sites of alleged war crimes. In addition, the organization claims that U.S. cuts affected about 70% of its team, reducing operational capacity of its database approved by the ICC for registry of war crimes.

Devex Researcher Note: Truth Hounds does not publically list funding amounts on its website. However, U.S. government partners had included the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Freedom House, and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Source: Human Rights Watch