In this episode of Lawyering Peace, Dr. Paul R. Williams speaks with Dr. Marieke de Hoon about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and the long road to accountability for the 298 civilians murdered on July 17, 2014.

Dr. de Hoon is Professor of International Criminal Justice at the University of Amsterdam and Director of PILPGs Netherlands Office. She has worked closely on legal analysis connected to MH17 and has supported families seeking justice and clarity over more than a decade.

The conversation traces how multiple legal pathways have built a record of accountability, including the Joint Investigation Team, the Dutch criminal trial and convictions issued in November 2022, inter state proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, and the aviation law track through ICAO, including the ongoing appeal at the International Court of Justice. The episode also explores why truth finding, victim recognition, and a durable historical record matter in an era of disinformation and continued aggression.

This episode of the Lawyering Peace Podcast’s Ukraine Series features an in depth conversation with Lidiia Kuzmenko, Protection Officer at the UNHCR Ukraine Country Office, on the profound human impact of internal displacement during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. With more than five million people uprooted inside Ukraine, Lidiia offers expert insight into the daily realities facing displaced families, the legal and administrative barriers they encounter, and the practical meaning of “protection” in UNHCR’s mandate. She discusses challenges related to documentation, housing, livelihoods, and access to services, as well as Ukraine’s evolving policy framework and emerging innovations in supporting IDPs. The episode explores the conditions required for safe and voluntary return, the resilience of displaced communities, and the long term reforms needed to ensure durable solutions. Above all, Lidiia reminds listeners that every statistic reflects an individual story of loss, strength, and determination to rebuild.

This episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast focuses on one of the most crucial pillars of peace building in Ukraine: gender equality and the central role of women in shaping a just and durable peace.

Dr. Paul R. Williams speaks with Dr. Khrystyna Kit, chairwoman of the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association JurFem and expert adviser to the Prosecutor General’s Office on conflict related sexual violence. Drawing on more than fifteen years of legal practice and advocacy, Dr. Kit explains how JurFem promotes gender sensitive legal reform, advances survivor centered approaches to justice, and works with judges, prosecutors, police, and lawmakers to ensure that responses to gender based and conflict related sexual violence reflect the needs and agency of survivors.

Together Khrystyna and Paul explore why women’s participation in decision making is a precondition for sustainable peace, not a symbolic add on. The conversation examines the systemic underrepresentation of women in negotiation and security spaces, the evolution of Ukraine’s National Action Plans under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, and the risks of pursuing a quick peace that sidelines accountability, reparations, and human rights. Dr. Kit outlines how peace processes can be redesigned to include women’s rights organizations, survivors, community leaders, and Ukrainians abroad, and why solidarity between Ukrainian civil society and international partners is essential for securing survivor centered justice and preventing a return to violence.