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White House wants deep cut in US funding for war crimes investigations, sources say

The White House on Wednesday recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including in Myanmar, Syria and on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine. (AFP/File)
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Updated 26 June 2025
Reuters
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White House wants deep cut in US funding for war crimes investigations, sources say

  • The programs also include work in Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Gambia
  • The expectation that Rubio would argue for many of the programs to be continued is slim
Updated 26 June 2025
Reuters

WASHINGTON/THE HAGUE: The White House on Wednesday recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs 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, which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programs 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 programs deserve to continue. The programs 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 Rubio would argue for many of the programs to be continued is slim, according to two US officials. However, the top US diplomat could make a case to keep crucial programs, such as aiding potential war crimes prosecutions in Ukraine, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Several of the programs 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 of 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 programs should send their justifications by close of business day on July 11, said an internal State Department email 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 January 20 to ensure American-taxpayer money funds programs that are aligned with his “America First” policies.

The unprecedented cutbacks have effectively shut down its premier aid arm US Agency for International Development, jeopardized 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-prioritizing 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, Wednesday’s recommendations raise the risk of US completely abandoning those efforts.

Among the programs that are recommended for termination is a $18 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 programs do not directly impact Ukraine’s frontline 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 Two, now grinding toward 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 programs include one that does accountability work on 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 Assad, two sources said.

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

In an internal State Department email, the administration cautioned that any effort to preserve programs 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 email, reviewed by Reuters said.

Topics: White House Syria war crimes US funding Iraq

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Georgia’s street dogs stir affection, fear, national debate

Updated 3 sec ago
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Georgia’s street dogs stir affection, fear, national debate

Updated 3 sec ago
TBILISI: At a bus stop in central Tbilisi, two tagged dogs dozed on a bench as some commuters smiled at them and others cast angry glances.
In the streets of the Georgian capital, such scenes are part of daily life: community-fed “yard dogs,” yellow municipal tags on their ears, lounge outside bakeries, metro entrances and school gates.
The free-roaming canines stir both affection and fear. What to do with their swelling numbers — in the tens of thousands in Tbilisi alone — has become a nationwide dilemma.
Stray animals tied the top spot for public concerns in a poll by the National Democratic Institute, with 22 percent of respondents naming it the most pressing issue.
Many welcome the dogs as a symbol of Tbilisi, a showcase of Georgian hospitality and the warm street life that draws tourists to the capital.
“Street dogs in Georgia have made a more positive impact on tourism and the image of Georgia than people and culture alone,” said journalist Elena Nikoleisvili, 51, who helps street dogs.
“If anything, these adorable creatures should be the symbol of the capital — like the cats of Istanbul.”
On cafe terraces, regulars slip bones under tables as mongrels curl up between patrons’ feet, while each neighborhood and cul-de-sac has its own local canine mascot.

- ‘Drop in the ocean’ -

Others worry about safety.
“They bark and scare folks,” said plumber Oleg Berlovi, 43.
“Two weeks ago, a dog bit my kid and we needed shots. Animals are great, but they need looking after.”
According to the World Health Organization, dogs are the main vectors in human rabies cases globally.
Georgia still records a handful of human deaths from the disease each year and administers tens of thousands of post-exposure treatments, according to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
City officials say the answer is steady, humane population control.
“The state’s policy is to manage these animals by the most humane methods possible and to reduce to a minimum the number of stray dogs on the streets,” Nicoloz Aragveli, who heads Tbilisi city hall’s animal monitoring agency, told AFP.
A recent count put the capital’s stray dog population at about 29,000, and around 74 percent have been neutered, Aragveli said.
“We plan to do more so that we reach 100 percent,” he said.
The city runs weekly school lessons and a door-to-door registration drive to raise awareness and track owned pets.
Legislative changes have also tightened penalties for abandoning animals and for violating care and ownership rules — steps officials say will help halt the flow of pets to the streets.
But journalist Nikoleisvili said the authorities only responded after a public backlash, and “could do much more.”
The number of dogs that have been neutered in Tbilisi — around 50,000 over the last decade — is “a drop in the ocean,” she said.

- ‘Guilty party’ -

Volunteers, like theater director Zacharia Dolidze, who builds kennels, also play a big role in caring for the dogs.
“There are days I make 20 kennels. I’ve built about 2,500 in seven years,” the 40-year-old said.
He collects regular donations to help pay for materials.
Shelter operators say there are big gaps in addressing what they call one of Georgia’s biggest issues.
“You can make regulations, but if you cannot enforce them, that’s not going to help,” said Sara Anna Modzmanashvili Kemecsei, who runs a shelter that houses about 50 dogs.
In many regions, “there are absolutely no neutering campaigns.”
“I can’t really see that the government is on top of the issue, so there are lots of volunteers,” she said. “They are really good at managing these animals.”
Politics has also injected fresh uncertainty.
Last year, the government pushed a “foreign influence” law that complicates NGOs’ access to funding from foreign donors such as UK animal welfare charity Mayhew, which runs a program to vaccinate and neuter strays in Tbilisi.
Volunteers meanwhile continue to juggle feeding, sheltering and basic care.
Nino Adeishvili, 50, is a geologist and university lecturer who looks after around 10 dogs.
Her group organizes rabies shots and fundraises on Facebook for deworming, flea treatment and food.
“On the street, a dog is still unprotected,” she said.
“The guilty party is the human.”

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