People-centered justice in action: investigative interviewing as a new standard of investigation in Ukraine
In the context of the transformation of the criminal justice system, the investigative interviewing methodology and its integration into the system work to develop and strengthen a people-centered system. Investigative Interviewing is not only about an evidence-based approach, but also about the mental attitude of an investigator/detective, or prosecutor in the process of communicating with a witness, victim, or suspect. For the past five years, JustGroup has been systematically promoting the need for a qualitative change in interrogations.
“Building a national expert and training team, conducting research, designing and organizing development programs, introducing investigative interviewing as an academic discipline in leading law schools, and cooperating with international experts — all these efforts are made by our organization to advance people-centered approaches in Ukraine’s criminal justice system. We are honored to carry out this work with the support of our partners and the active members of the Just community,” says Vasylyna Yavorska, JustGroup Team Leader.
The Manual on Investigative Interviewing for Criminal Investigations is designed to guide and support practitioners in applying this approach during criminal investigations. It is a joint effort of the Department of Peace Operations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) establishing an international standard for interviewing accused, victims and witnesses all around the world.. Approved and published in 2024, the Manual was translated into Ukrainian at the initiative of JustGroup, with the support of UNDP Ukraine and Government of Japan.
On April 30, 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office hosted a presentation of the Manual along with the launch of the Ukrainian version of the UNODC eLearning modules on investigative interviewing, developed with the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, and available free of charge for all practitioners interested in learning about investigative interviewing.
Importantly, the event gathered leaders of law enforcement agencies, demonstrating their commitment to introducing people-centered approaches into investigative practices. Thanks to the online broadcast, law enforcement officers from across Ukraine were also able to join the discussion. The keynote address was delivered by Mykola Hnatovskyi, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights.
“The creation of a modern criminal justice system is not limited to reforming procedural legislation following the requirements of international human rights instruments. The system must be both effective and respectful of human rights. Investigative Interviewing is one of the real ways to achieve this. It destroys the myth of the effectiveness of harsh interrogation methods and replaces them with more effective methods of crime prevention, investigation, and detection.”
The Manual and the eLearning incorporate the best international practices and standards aimed at enhancing the professional skills of investigators, detectives, and prosecutors. It also offers practical recommendations and techniques to support their daily work. The adoption of this approach within law enforcement agencies will not only improve the effectiveness of individual investigations but will also positively influence the entire justice system and help build greater public trust.
“This Manual is relevant for all categories of criminal proceedings, but it is of particular importance for investigators and prosecutors who investigate international and war crimes. They face an extremely difficult task. Risking their lives every day, they must ensure the highest possible standards of justice for victims, witnesses, and suspects, because this category of crimes is the focus of the world’s attention, and the cost of miscarriages of justice is extremely high,” said Oleksii Khomenko, Acting Prosecutor General.
With the support of UNDP, the integration of ethical and effective investigative methods is becoming a tangible part of justice sector reform, helping Ukraine to develop its justice system in line with the best international standards.
“In the context of reforms aimed at transforming the criminal justice sector, the introduction of effective investigative interviewing practices helps strengthen public trust in the system by demonstrating the state’s commitment to human rights and high standards of justice. With the support of UNDP and the Government of Japan, JustGroup is promoting the integration of Investigative Interviewing into criminal justice practice in Ukraine. In particular, the Standards for Investigative Interviewing and a development program have been created, thanks to which new methods and approaches are already contributing to stronger human rights protection and greater transparency of court proceedings,” said Jaco Cillier, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine.
The importance of investigative interviewing for the Ukrainian legal system cannot be overstated. It is not only a mechanism that meets international standards, but also the foundation for ensuring the principle of fairness in criminal proceedings.
“As Ukraine continues its ambitious reform programme, this Manual and UNODC eLearning will be valuable tools for law enforcement and judicial authorities in this process. It will help to increase accountability and strengthen public trust in justice. The UNODC will continue to support the development of a transparent, fair, and people-centered justice system that delivers effective and timely justice to Ukrainians,” said Harsheth Virk, Head of Office, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Programme Office in Ukraine.
Leaders of law enforcement agencies — the National Police, the SSU, and NABU — also spoke about the importance of implementing this methodology in the daily work of investigators and detectives.
Serhii Panteleiev, Deputy Head of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine, said: “For the police, it is a tool that increases the effectiveness of investigations while upholding high standards of human rights protection. That is why some police officers participated in the ‘Investigative Interviewing. Basic’ training program to not only apply it in their practice but also promote it within the professional community in the future.”
Serhii Naumiuk, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, emphasized: “A key component of pre-trial investigation is Investigative Interviewing, which enables the collection of reliable information in criminal proceedings. In the context of modern justice, it is important to ensure the effectiveness and legitimacy of the interview process while minimizing potential psychological and emotional trauma for witnesses, victims, and suspects. The integration of Investigative Interviewing into the national system enhances the quality of collected evidence and increases public trust in law enforcement agencies.”
Polina Lysenko, Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, noted: “The National Bureau is always eager to implement innovative methods that help achieve high results in the fight against crime. Therefore, in 2019, we became the first Ukrainian law enforcement agency to apply for investigative interviewing. Over the years, this methodology has enabled us to achieve significant success in investigating complex corruption schemes. Unlike outdated interrogation methods, investigative interviewing is focused on establishing the truth and ensuring justice, which is fundamental to a modern rule-of-law state.”
An important step towards the development of the practice of investigative interviewing in the Ukrainian criminal justice system was JustGroup’s partnership with the Norwegian Center for Human Rights (University of Oslo), whose experts train practitioners and promote the Méndez Principles around the world.
“Recent developments, such as the approval of the Procedure for Child Protection Centers (Barnahus model) and the integration of the Méndez Principles into the updated Action Plan for the implementation of the Counter-torture Strategy in the Criminal Justice System, indicate significant steps towards creating an effective and humane criminal justice system in Ukraine. We value our partnership with JustGroup, which is making significant efforts to ensure that these positive changes take place,” said Gisle Kvanvig, Director of multilateral cooperation at the International Department of the Norwegian Center for Human Rights, University of Oslo.
For decades, the ECHR has spoken of cruel treatment in the criminal justice system as a systemic and structural problem that requires not only legislative guarantees of human rights, but also their observance in the work of law enforcement agencies. Changing approaches and practices in the conduct of investigations is therefore important, if not crucial, to overcoming this problem.
“An important tool in this regard can be the investigative interviewing methodology. Ukraine has already taken an important step in this direction and enshrined the need to use investigative interviewing in a strategic document — the Action Plan for the implementation of the Counter-torture Strategy. The next step is the practical implementation of this task in the criminal justice system,” said Marharyta Sokorenko, Government Agent for the ECHR.
The Manual presentation is significant not only for practitioners but also for the education of future legal professionals. In 2025, an elective course on Investigative Interviewing was introduced at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Law School of the Ukrainian Catholic University. This methodology has also been taught to Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs cadets for several years. We hope this practice will be adopted by other law schools and become a systematic part of legal education.
“The cadets have a unique opportunity to learn and practice this methodology continuously during the criminal procedure classes. University teachers are also involved in designing and implementing training programs on investigative interviewing and, at JustGroup’s request, they have started to develop a manual for teachers and cadets. We are proud that Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs is becoming a platform both for discussion on investigative interviewing and training for practitioners, cadets, and scholars,” said Oleksandr Morhunov, Rector of the DSUIA.
The event featured a discussion panel devoted to the key principles of conducting investigative interviewing, its practical application in criminal investigations, and the goals and structure of the Manual. The panelists were Gisle Kvanvig (Norwegian Center for Human Rights), Yurii Bielousov (Prosecutor General’s Office), and Volodymyr Vasylchuk (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine). Finally, Anna Giudice, Team Leader, Access to Justice Team, UNODC, presented the eLearning modules.
“UNODC as the lead UN agency on crime and justice, and one of the main publishers of the UN Manual, strongly supports the use of investigative interviewing in all criminal investigations. The UNODC eLearning can be integrated into all training activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, as part of a hybrid training approach. Our experience jointly with the NCHR and other partners around the world shows that this is an efficient use of resources — knowledge is shared through eLearning and in-person training can focus on skills building and practice. We are happy to expand our support to Ukraine through this initiative. We also have benefited from the expertise of Ukrainian experts in regional events and welcome further collaboration with Ukraine in this area.” said Anna Giudice.
The presentation of this Manual and eLearning modules is an important step towards building a high-quality and people-centered criminal justice system that meets international standards and enjoys the trust of Ukrainian society. We invite you to join in its transformation and familiarize yourself with the Manual and eLearning platform.
The Investigative Interviewing initiative in Ukraine is being developed by the JustGroup organization and a community of criminal justice practitioners who share the approach of non-violent interview during investigations.
The translation and publication of the Manual were supported by the Transformative Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNDP Ukraine.
The translation of the eLearning to Ukrainian was supported by Norway.
Photo: Anna Putylina
