Justice Initiative. Ukraine

Justice Initiative, Ukraine is a Ukrainian NGO established in 2020 by the decision of Board of Stichting Justice Initiative (SJI, registered in the Netherlands). However, first Covid-19 and then the full-scale invasion by Russia delayed the development of this NGO in Kyiv. Since 2023 Justice Initiative team in Ukraine, consisting of projects leader/psychologist, advocacy consultant and lawyer have been working on the issue of Ukrainians in Russian captivity, support of families of Ukrainians held incommunicado in Russia. This was done with support and in cooperation with SJI and its team of lawyers and social workers based in Russia. Justice Initiative. Ukraine’s team members have been working with the families of the detainees, mainly on legal issues related to search for the disappeared and legal support of those captives who were put by the Russian government through bogus trials. They played a very active role in People First campaign which aims to release all captives of the Russian invasion and carried out targeted advocacy for the most vulnerable groups of the detainees. In 2025 the Board of Stichting Justice initiative offered the team in Kyiv to localize their activities and to start developing the local NGO. The team leader Olga Perekopaiko became Justice Initiative. Ukraine director. The organization has a Board consisting of four Ukrainian activists and two internationals. This is Justice Initiative. Ukraine’s first application for a grant. It will manage a small project on psychosocial support of families of detainees and missing persons and undertake advocacy for the most vulnerable detainees. Nunca Mas will support Justice Initiative. Ukraine by building their capacity to run human rights and mental health projects and administer international grants. According to its status, the purpose of the organization is to defend human rights as provided for in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.