The court simulated a real proceeding, using OSINT (open-source intelligence) as evidence to demonstrate how Ukrainian civil law can secure justice for victims even when physical evidence is inaccessible. Although the case was fictional, the evidence presented was based on real-life events from the ongoing war. The event highlighted the value of innovative legal approaches in seeking reparations for damage and destruction of property and human rights violations.

With extensive experience in gathering and analyzing open-source intelligence, at the stage of preparing for the hearing, the team of OSINT for Ukraine have been pivotal in documenting all found evidence of human rights violations. This moot court effectively demonstrated the potential for using OSINT as relevant and admissible evidence in civil litigation. 

Ukraine Legal Network is a network of Ukrainian lawyers based in the Netherlands. ULN’s primary goal is to seek to secure justice and redress for Ukrainians in the Netherlands who are survivors of international war crimes and human rights violations. ULN is an initiative of the Nuhanovic Foundation, a Dutch NGO dedicated to helping survivors of armed conflict access justice and seek reparations for war-related damages. This initiative builds on NF’s extensive experience in creating and working with networks of lawyers and activists from conflict-affected communities. Both NF and ULN are housed at the Amsterdam Law Hub, University of Amsterdam.

ULN pursues its mission through four key activities:

• Legal consulting and advice
• Awareness-raising and training
• Case-building
• Offering an international legal network