Amid rising global polarization and challenges faced by journalists covering conflict zones, a Ukrainian Human Rights reporter and co-founder of The Reckoning Project, Natalia Gumenyuk, emphasized that justice must be understood as a long collective process rooted in truth, memory, and human dignity, instead of an instant outcome.

Gumenyuk explained that justice begins long before any court ruling and continues afterward, asserting the importance of gathering every survivor’s testimony through neutral, trauma-informed interviews to avoid triggering retraumatization.

“We talk to people in a way that their stories cannot be dismissed by the court. Justice begins long before a court decision, and continues long after. It lives in every survivor who is heard and every truth that is safeguarded,” she stressed. 

She warned that in an era of rampant disinformation, human rights stories face increasing skepticism, noting that documentaries should avoid overt narratives and let the victims and witnesses speak for themselves.

“People don’t like being told what to think. What they accept are the voices of survivors themselves…You can make a story about suffering, or you can make a story about endurance. Both are true. But when people see only victims, they feel helpless. When they see survivors, they see courage.” 

Ateneo de Davao (AdDU) Vice President for Higher Education Fr. Antonio Basilio, SJ, underscored that justice unfolds “slowly and courageously,” requiring the communal efforts of listening, remembering, and safeguarding truth.

“When we say justice is a process, we acknowledge that it is more than a moment, more than a verdict, more than a headline. It demands gathering testimony, honoring dignity, protecting memory, and ensuring that no story is lost,” Fr. Basilio stated.

He also highlighted the role of journalism as an act of accompaniment, describing it as “a ministry of presence” that walks alongside those whose lives have been scarred by violence, particularly in war-affected communities.

Gumenyuk further called for greater solidarity for those who risked their lives uncovering the truth, extending this support to journalists in other conflict zones, such as in Palestine and Sudan.

“Justice cannot compete. The suffering of one community does not diminish the suffering of another. We must amplify every marginalized voice and recognize that oppression anywhere is a call to action everywhere.”

Sharing her team’s experience documenting alleged war crimes committed during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Reckoning Project has gathered testimonies from civilians who survived shelling, executions, torture, abductions, and attacks on homes, hospitals, and evacuation sites since 2022.

She revealed that Ukraine has recorded over 190,000 alleged war crimes to date, a scale she described as “incomprehensible but never to be normalized.”

“If you treat these as mere tragedies, you feel powerless. But if you treat them as crimes, you understand that perpetrators must be identified and held accountable.”

Organized by the School of Arts and Sciences’ Communication and International Studies Departments and Ateneo de Davao Internationalization for Mindanao (AIM) Office, the “Justice as a Process: Rethinking Human Rights Journalism in a Polarised World” lecture and documentary screening event was held on November 14 at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium.