On September 5, 2025, a round table discussion titled "Identification of Veterans in the Justice System: Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine" was held at the Ukrainian House. The event was organized by the public organization "L.I.I.D. Foundation" with the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation, as reported by UNN.
The event was held with the aim of a professional dialogue between key bodies involved in the justice system regarding an extremely relevant issue: the identification of veterans in criminal proceedings. This is an important issue for protecting the rights of veterans who come to the attention of law enforcement and judicial bodies.
After all, timely identification of a veteran's status is aimed at taking into account their status and basic needs without discrimination. This is key to ensuring the right of a person who fought to a fair trial and access to rehabilitation mechanisms. It is a guarantee that society does not leave its defenders alone with a system that is not always able to take into account traumatic war experience or the consequences of PTSD, addictions, or other invisible wounds.
The L.I.I.D. Foundation highlighted its own conviction, based on international practice: the punitive function should give way to rehabilitation – justice should take into account the difficult experience of veterans.
That is why representatives of various institutions were invited to a meaningful discussion to jointly develop effective approaches to solving the pressing problem.
At the event, the L.I.I.D. Foundation presented the results of its research on the stated topic, after which the issue was discussed by representatives of key bodies. During the discussion, the participants expressed their opinions and together a strategy for further steps to improve the system of identifying veterans in justice was developed.
The material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. The material reflects the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.