Presentation of the manual “Incitement to Genocide: How to Bring Propagandists to Justice. International Experience and Ukrainian Law”

On April 23, a presentation of the manual “Incitement to Genocide: How to Bring Propagandists to Justice. International Experience and Ukrainian Law” took place at the Training Center for Prosecutors of Ukraine. As part of the presentation, crimes related to propaganda were discussed. The main speakers were the co-authors of the manual, Anna Vyshnyakova, the Head of LingvaLexa and Gregory S. Gordon. They discussed problematic aspects that arise in connection with working with this category of crimes and possible ways to solve them. Also, during the event, a representative of the Office of the Prosecutor General, Oleksandr Svinar, spoke about the work of law enforcement agencies in ensuring accountability for incitement to genocide.

The main theses voiced during the event were:

  • Crimes related to propaganda within the framework of armed conflicts are no less dangerous than violent crimes. Moreover, criminal statements are a significant motivating factor for the military to commit crimes.
  • A multi-level comprehensive strategy is needed, which would provide for the creation of a unified base for storing potential evidence, taking into account the large volume of methods for disseminating propaganda.
  • It is necessary to consider the possibility of ensuring accountability for the maximum circle of propagandists: journalists, politicians, artists, war correspondents, and even video game developers.
  • To work with crimes related to propaganda, it is necessary to involve a wide range of experts in addition to lawyers: linguists, historians, sociologists, psychologists, etc.
  • Ensuring accountability must be in accordance with international standards.

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Representatives of civil society, the National Police, prosecutors, State Security Service, journalists, and partners of the NGO LingvaLexa, including the International Renaissance Foundation and the Training Center for Prosecutors of Ukraine, participated in the event.

The presentation ended with a heated panel discussion in which a social psychology expert, Khrystyna Borovkova, and the acting head of the department for combating crimes committed in conditions of armed conflict of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Spartak Borisenko, took part. The discussion was dedicated to the need for research and counteraction to crimes related to propaganda using interdisciplinary approaches.

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