War crimes probes in Ukraine, Myanmar among two dozen programmes at risk of US funding cuts

WASHINGTON/THE HAGUE – The White House on June 25 recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programmes that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including in Myanmar, Syria and on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to two US sources familiar with the matter and internal government documents reviewed by Reuters.

The recommendation from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programmes since it gives the State Department the option to appeal.

But it sets up a potential back-and-forth between the OMB and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his aides, who will reply to OMB with their suggestions on which programmes deserve to continue.

The programmes also include work in Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Gambia.

The State Department and OMB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The expectation that Mr Rubio would argue for many of the programmes to be continued is slim, according to two US officials. However, the top US diplomat could make a case to keep crucial programmes, such as aiding potential war crimes prosecutions in Ukraine, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Several of the programmes earmarked for termination operate war crimes accountability projects in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the matter said, including Global Rights Compliance, which is helping to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity across Ukraine, such as sexual violence and torture.

Another is the Legal Action Network, a legal aid group which supports local efforts to bring cases against Russian suspects in war crimes in Ukraine, the sources said.

Requests seeking comment from the groups were not immediately answered.

State Department bureaus that would like to preserve any war crimes and accountability programmes should send their justifications by the close of the business day on July 11, said an internal State Department e-mail seen by Reuters.

Changing priorities

The administration of President Donald Trump has frozen and then cut back billions of dollars of foreign aid since taking office on Jan 20 to ensure American taxpayer money funds programmes that are aligned with his “America First” policies.

The unprecedented cutbacks have effectively

shut down the government’s premier aid arm,

US Agency for International Development, or USAid, jeopardised the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid, and thrown global humanitarian relief operations into chaos.

The OMB recommendation is yet another sign that the administration is increasingly de-prioritising advocacy for human rights and rule of law globally, an objective that previous US administrations have pursued.

While US foreign aid freezes

had already started hampering

an international effort to hold Russia responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the June 25 recommendations raise the risk of the US completely abandoning those efforts.

Among the programmes that are recommended for termination is a US$18 million (S$23 million) State Department grant for Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office that is implemented by Georgetown University’s International Criminal Justice Initiative, two sources said.

While the programmes do not directly impact Ukraine’s front-line efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion, supporters say they represent the best chance of extensively documenting reported battlefield atrocities in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, now grinding towards a fourth year.

Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 war crime cases since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion, which has killed tens of thousands, ravaged vast swathes of the country and left behind mental and physical scars from occupation. Russia consistently denies war crimes have been committed by its forces in the conflict.

Path to appeal

Other programmes include one that does accountability work on the Myanmar army’s atrocities against Rohingya minorities as well as on the persecution of Christians and other minorities by

Syria’s ousted former president

Bashar al-Assad, two sources said.

While the OMB recommendations could face State Department pushback, the criteria to appeal are set very strictly.

In an internal State Department e-mail, the administration cautioned that any effort to preserve programmes that were recommended to be terminated should be thoroughly argued and directly aligned with Washington’s priorities.

“Bureaus must clearly and succinctly identify direct alignment to administration priorities,” the e-mail, reviewed by Reuters, said. REUTERS