Respect for international law must once again become a priority!

Justice and international law, long taken for granted, are now – just after civilians – among the first victims of the multiplication of conflicts and the trivialization of impunity. Over the coming years, TRIAL International will place the fight against double standards and for fair justice at the heart of its mission. That’s why, in May, we filed two denunciations with the Swiss authorities to examine the compliance of the activities of the controversial Geneva-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.

Unfortunately, the increase in needs is not matched by an increase in support. In the USA, Germany, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and even Switzerland, governments are reducing or suspending their support for NGOs and international cooperation. Everywhere, budget priorities are shifting towards security or national interests, to the detriment of international aid. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the situation on the ground has deteriorated sharply since the beginning of the year, many NGOs, including TRIAL International, have seen their funding cut. At the same time, several of the human rights defenders we support are facing death threats from former offi cials whom we helped to convict, and who have taken advantage of the security crisis to escape. In Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina, fi nancial uncertainty directly compromises the continuity of our action. Our interventions are threatened, while violations and needs continue to grow.

Despite this, TRIAL International will continue to fi ght impunity. The law remains one of the last bastions against arbitrariness. In 2024, thanks to your support, we assisted more than 5,000 victims of international crimes, thanks to our committed teams and partners. But our work still largely depends on public funding, which accounted for almost 70% of our budget last year: the current crisis shows just how fragile this model is. In this context, your support has never been so crucial.
In 2024, we launched an ambitious program in Ukraine and stepped up our efforts to hold accountable private military and security actors, who are often present in conflicts but rarely questioned. We continued our indepth work in the DRC and Bosnia-Herzegovina. We have also contributed to historic advances, such as the trial of a former Gambian minister convicted of crimes against humanity in Bellinzona, a decisive step for international justice in Switzerland.

But we cannot act alone.

In a world where human rights are no longer taken for granted, your support is essential. Every donation enables us to pursue an investigation, accompany a victim, lodge a complaint, train a local lawyer, and remind people that no company or politician can place itself above the law.
Today, more than ever, we need your help to ensure that justice progresses where it is most threatened. Your support is decisive in ensuring that victims are not forgotten and that justice is the same for all.