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Serious human rights violations leave scars that extend far beyond the immediate moment. When perpetrators go unpunished, it not only prevents coming to terms with the past and societal reconciliation, but also denies victims their right to truth, justice, and reparations. Only a serious reckoning with the past can acknowledge individual pain, dismantle structural injustices, and pave the way to a more just future.
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Where national justice systems fail, international institutions such as the International Criminal Court or criminal proceedings based on the principle of universal jurisdiction can intervene. But is there hope in the fight against impunity when autocrats systematically undermine international law?
The fifth edition of “On Justice” brings together voices from Syria, Palestine, Gambia, Myanmar, and Ukraine—five contexts marked by systematic violence and human rights violations, and at the same time, sites of courageous resistance. Here, people are fighting back, demanding justice, and making hope visible.
This episode is also available on podigee and other platforms.
Kateryna Buriakovska is an assistant professor at the National Law University in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Since July 2022, she has been a visiting researcher at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen. Her academic work focuses on economics and human rights, with an emphasis on armed conflict. As a human rights lawyer, she supports Ukrainian NGOs in the legal prosecution of serious human rights violations committed during Russia's war of aggression.
Ruham Hawash is an activist and civil society organizer focused on strengthening grassroots initiatives in Palestine, Syria, and beyond. She promotes collective action among civil society actors with the goal of building broader liberation movements. Her work is based on justice, accountability, and a continuous commitment to decolonization in everyday life and action. She was a co-plaintiff in the Al-Khatib trial, the world's first trial for Syrian state torture.
Priscilla Yagu Shalom Ciesay is a human rights lawyer and expert in international humanitarian law with over 20 years of experience as a lawyer and with the United Nations. She has worked in New York, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Gambia, among other places, focusing on women's rights, marginalized groups, and transitional justice. As a former UN mandate holder, she currently advises the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Gambia. She is a co-founder of the Women’s Association for Women & Victims’ Empowerment-Gambia. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Human Rights Practice Program at the University of Arizona.
Tun Khin (Rohingya name: Ziaul Gaffar) was born and raised in Arakan State, Burma. He is the co-founder and president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, which advocates worldwide for the rights of the Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Myanmar. He has informed numerous government officials and members of parliament about the genocide against the Rohingya. In November 2019, he filed a lawsuit in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction against the military and civilian government of Myanmar for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Arne Bardelle is Senior Legal Advisor at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and works in the international crimes and accountability programme.
Wolfgang Kaleck founded the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights with other internationally renowned lawyers in Berlin in 2007. As a lawyer, he represents whistleblower Edward Snowden, among others. Kaleck has also published numerous books.
October 2025
© 2025 HAU
Eine Diskussionsreihe des HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Kooperation mit dem ECCHR (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights). Gefördert im Rahmen des Bündnisses internationaler Produktionshäuser von der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien.
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