Ukrainian human rights body the Center for Civil Liberties jointly won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Its head OLEKSANDRA MATVIICHUK speaks to Index’s MARK FRARY
ON 10 DECEMBER 2022, Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk stood up in Oslo City Hall in Norway to give an impassioned speech, telling the audience about how peace, progress and human rights are inextricably linked. Matviichuk was accepting the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties, which she currently heads.
Speaking to Index, she said that the current generation are starting to take democracy for granted. “They have become consumers of values. They perceive freedom as a possibility to choose between cheeses in the supermarket. Therefore, they are ready to exchange freedom for economic benefits, promises of security, or personal comfort. Yet, the truth is that freedom is very fragile.”
MF How did you get into human rights activism?
OM In high school, I had the privilege of meeting Yevhen Sverstiuk, a philosopher, writer and former political prisoner of the Soviet Gulag who headed PEN Ukraine. Under his mentorship, I was introduced to the circle of Ukrainian dissidents, individuals I had only read about in history books. They dared to challenge the totalitarian Soviet regime, enduring years in labour camps, exile and psychiatric institutions. This encounter taught me that even when stripped of everything else, one’s voice and convictions remain powerful. I decided to pursue law studies with the intention of defending freedom and human dignity.
MF How did things change after the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014?
OM This was just after the Revolution of Dignity had ended in Ukraine. Millions of people had bravely stood up against a corrupt authoritarian regime. They took to the streets across the entire country, demanding that the regime continue moving towards Europe. When the authoritarian regime fell, Ukraine got its chance for democratic transformation. And to stop Ukraine’s progress towards genuine democracy, Russia invaded. CCL was the first human rights organisation to dispatch mobile teams to document war crimes in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. We began documenting abductions, unlawful detentions, torture, rape and killings of civilians.
MF What practical work have you been doing in Ukraine since Russia’s wider invasion of the country?
OM We have faced an unprecedented number of war crimes. We united efforts with dozens of regional organisations and built a national network of documenters throughout the country. Working together, we have recorded more than 64,000 episodes of war crimes. It’s just the tip of the iceberg.
MF What help does CCL need from outside Ukraine?
OM All this hell we face is the result of the total impunity which Russia has enjoyed for decades. The Russian military has been committing international crimes in Chechnya, Moldova, Georgia, Mali, Libya and Syria. They have never been punished for it. If we want to prevent wars in the future we have to punish states and their leaders who start such wars in the present. But in the whole history of humankind we have only one such precedent. And we still look at the world through the lens of the Nuremberg Trials…Justice should not depend on how and when the war ends. We cannot wait.
The team behind the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, who document war crimes
CREDIT: Center for Civil Liberties
MF If you could take one book to jail with you, what would it be?
OM The only book that truly resonates with me is the work of my friend, Victoria Amelina. Victoria, who was a writer before the war, transformed into a war crimes documenter. She dedicated herself to gathering stories of women during the war - civilians, soldiers and volunteers. Tragically, Victoria was killed in the Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk last summer. Now, her book, containing the stories of Ukrainian women, is set to be published. I genuinely hope that the world will hear and appreciate these stories.
MF What news headline would you most like to read?
OM Putin in The Hague. What sentence awaits him, expert opinions.
