Human rights organizations including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists (the ICJ) have welcomed the Council of Europe’s progress toward establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, but emphasize that victims must be placed at the heart of the process. They call for transparency in publishing the Tribunal’s draft Statute and stress the need for meaningful victim participation throughout. Concerns have been raised over provisions for personal immunity for top Russian officials and the possibility of trials in absentia; both seen as threats to victims’ right to justice and accountability. To be effective, the Tribunal must uphold international legal standards, ensure impartiality, and guarantee victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparations.