Today, International FederationFor Human Rights (FIDH) – in which the Portuguese Human Rights League – Civitas is member of, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and REDRESS are releasing the report that analyses the situation of victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture and enforced disappearance.
While the report highlights important advances in recent years, it concludes that victims still face many barriers that limit the exercise of their rights and prevent them from effectively participating in proceedings.
The EU has made the fight against impunity one of its priorities. As a result, a number of member states have created specialised units to identify, investigate and prosecute potential perpetrators of these type of crimes.
The 130-page report is the culmination of two years of research and consultations with 140 investigators, prosecutors, victims’ advocates and other experts and contains detailed analysis of the practices of specialised units in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. However, the findings are of broader relevance, especially within the policy makers working to implement the EU’s victims’ rights strategy, a five-year plan, adopted in June 2020.
To access the Report in English: click on the link.