Survivors of Conflict Speak Out Against Injustice – The Hague, Netherlands, November 2025
In November 2025, a delegation of courageous survivors of conflict from around the world addressed the annual Assembly of State Parties in The Hague. They shared their lived experiences and presented formal proposals on how the International Criminal Court might improve engagement with victims and safeguard its independence against political sanctions. During a break in the proceedings, the survivors sat for a formal portrait. While their steely gazes may mask the profound trauma they have endured, their resilience remains at the heart of a survivor-centred approach to justice.
Elizabeth Atieno (Kenya) knows first-hand the importance of victims’ rights, and the frustration when these rights are not realised. She is an advocate for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Kenya, working with the community-based organisation Grace Agenda, and a survivor of sexual violence that took place during the 2007/2008 post-election violence in Kenya, in which over 3,000 people were reportedly raped.
Lala Abgaryan (Armenia) is the sister of Gayane Abgaryan, who was killed during the unlawful military aggression against Armenia by Azerbaijani special forces “Yashma” in September 2022. Gayane was subjected to sexualised violence, mutilation, and desecration.
Since then, Lala has been speaking out, representing the voices of victims of gender and conflict-related violence in Armenia. She actively contributed to the Center for Truth and Justice’s Article 15 communication to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, submitted in April 2024, and continues to advocate for justice and accountability. Lala was also part of CFTJ’s delegation to Washington, where CFTJ testified at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing.
Oleksandr Maksymenko (Ukraine) is an electromechanical engineer, public leader, and journalist with more than three decades of experience in senior roles across trade unions, public councils, and the media. Since 1987, he has held leadership positions at both regional and national levels, served as an Election commission chair, and acted as an arbiter for Ukraine’s National Mediation and Conciliation Service.
In the media field, he has worked as an editor, columnist, and founder of an online outlet, contributing to national and regional publications while managing digital media platforms. Since 2023, he has served as a freelance contributor to Radio Liberty.
During the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, he spent six months under occupation and endured civilian captivity and torture. Today, he is actively engaged in advocacy as a survivor of violence, working both individually and as a member of the Network of Men of Ukraine Who Survived Captivity and Torture “ALUMNI.”
David Yambio (South Sudan) is a community advocate, human rights defender, and lead investigator on state-to-state human trafficking and crimes against migrants in North Africa and Europe. He is the co-founder and spokesperson of Refugees in Libya, a refugee-led organisation based in Libya and Italy that documents abuses, challenges impunity, and advocates for justice and protection for people on the move.
David experienced displacement early in life and grew up amid conflict and instability. He was forcibly recruited as a child and later lived through multiple armed conflicts across the African continent. After fleeing his country, he undertook a perilous journey across several African states, during which he was detained, tortured, exploited, and enslaved in Libya. These experiences shaped both his political consciousness and his commitment to collective struggle.
In Libya, David emerged as a key organiser and public voice against systematic abuse. In 2021, he co-founded Refugees in Libya following a prolonged refugee-led protest demanding protection, recognition, and accountability. Since then, the organisation has become a central platform for exposing crimes committed against refugees and migrants in Libya, Tunisia, Niger, and along the Central Mediterranean route, including those enabled by European border externalisation policies.
Luis Carlos Díaz (Venezuela) is a journalist, cyber activist, human rights defender, and a survivor from Venezuela. He is a communications advisor, media consultant, and a member of the Board of Transparencia Venezuela and Sinergia. He was president of the Internet Society Venezuela Chapter between 2019 and 2022. He is the author and co-author of 14 publications. In 2024, he was awarded the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Albies Awards for his work in defence of human rights.
Text source: @redresstrust
Interviews with Redress Trust:
- ‘What Does Survivor-Centred Justice Mean? | Elizabeth Atieno’
- “Its name alone has the potential to save lives” | David Yambio
- “We demand justice” Oleksandr Maksymenko on justice for Ukrainian survivors
- Lala Abgaryan on Impunity
- Is the ICC the last hope of justice for survivors? | Luis Carlos Díaz
If you would like to listen to a longer interview with Oleksandr Maksymenko, Elizabeth Atieno, and Luis Carlos Díaz check out the podcast episode by Asymmetrical Haircuts: ‘Justice Update – Survivors @ The ICC‘
D.S. Lim Photography 