Heartfelt congrats to Oleksandra and the Center for Civil Liberties
Scott and I had the pleasure and honour of speaking with Oleksandra about her work on EuroFile, and Olga and I were able to speak with her at length on Kremlin File.
Actually it was Olga who introduced me to Oleksandra and the years of work she and the Center for Civil Liberties were doing in Ukraine. I had asked Olga about news I was reading about concentration camps and centers of torture in Donbas, and she immediately directed me to Oleksandra for more information.
When the announcement was made that the Center for Civil Liberties had won the Nobel for Peace, I was moved to tears because I know the heart-breaking ordeal the volunteers and leadership go through every day. Recognition of the importance of their work was so well-deserved. This is God’s work: slugging away every day to bring justice to criminals and for those who have died or suffered at their hands- the work of human rights defenders worldwide.
Congratulations to the Centre for Civil Liberties and to our friend, Oleksandra.
The Nobel Lecture given by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2022 Center for Civil Liberties
Delivered by Oleksandra Matviichuk
Oslo, 10 December, 2022.
Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, dear members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of Ukraine and citizens of the world.
This year, the entire Ukrainian nation was waiting for the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
We see this Prize as a recognition of the efforts of the Ukrainian people, who have bravely stood up to the attempts to destroy peaceful development of Europe, as well as a celebration of the work being done by human rights activists in order to prevent military threat for the entire world. We are proud of having Ukrainian language heard during the official ceremony for the first time in history.
We are receiving the Nobel Peace Prize during the war started by Russia. This war has been going on for eight years, 9 months and 21 days. For millions of people, such words as shelling, torture, deportation, filtration camps have become commonplace. But there are no words which can express the pain of a mother who lost her newborn son in a shelling of the maternity ward. A moment ago, she was caressing her baby, calling him by his name, breastfeeding him, inhaling his smell – and the next moment a Russian missile destroyed her entire universe. And now her beloved and longed-for baby lies in the smallest coffin in the world.
Commentary by Olga Tokariuk
I am extremely proud of @avalaina- Oleksandra Matviychuk, the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, who received the Nobel Peace Prize today on behalf of her organization and Ukrainian human rights defenders. Her Nobel lecture is an absolute must-read.
In her speech, entitled 'Time to Take Responsibility', Oleksandra raises crucial points related to Russia's war in Ukraine, war crimes, human rights violations and the dysfunctional international order that turns a blind eye to it and emboldens the aggressor state. Some quotes:
“Survivors of the World War II are no longer around. And the new generations began to take rights and freedoms for granted. Even in developed democracies, forces questioning the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are on the rise.”
'Peace, progress and human rights are inextricably linked. A state that kills journalists, imprisons activists, or disperses peaceful demonstrations poses a threat not only to its citizens. Such a state poses a threat to the entire region and peace in the world as a whole'.
“For decades, Russian troops have been committing crimes in different countries. But they always got away with this. The world has not even adequately responded to the act of aggression and annexation of Crimea, which were the first such cases in post-war Europe.”
“Russia is deliberately inflicting harm on civilians aiming to stop our resistance and occupy Ukraine. Russian troops intentionally destroy residential buildings, churches, schools, hospitals, shell evacuation corridors, put people in filtration camps carry out forced deportations, kidnap, torture and kill people in the occupied territories. The Russian people will be responsible for this disgraceful page of their history and their desire to forcefully restore the former empire,” (Note the emphasis on 'Russian people').
“People of Ukraine want peace more than anyone else in the world. But peace cannot be reached by country under attack laying down its arms. This would not be peace, but occupation. After the liberation of Bucha, we found a lot of civilians murdered in the streets and courtyards.”
“We will not leave people in the occupied territories to be killed and tortured. People’s lives cannot be a “political compromise”. Fighting for peace does not not mean yielding to pressure of the aggressor, it means protecting people from its cruelty.”
“...now we do not have any legal mechanisms to stop Russian atrocities. So many of the human rights activists were compelled to defend what they believe in with arms in their hands. For example, my friend Maksym Butkevych, who is now in Russian captivity,” (He's my friend too)
“The UN system, created after the WWII by its winners, provides for some unjustified indulgences for individual countries. If we don’t want to live in the world where rules are set by states with stronger military capabilities, this has to be changed.”
“We have to start reforming the international system...We need guarantees of security and respect for human rights for citizens of all states regardless of their participation in alliances, military capability or economic power. This new system should have human rights at its core.”
“We may not have political tools, but we still have our words and our position. Ordinary people have much more influence than they think they do. Voices of millions of people from different countries can change world history faster than interventions of the UN.”
“Dictators are afraid that the idea of freedom will prevail. This is why Russia is trying to convince the whole world that the rule of law, human rights and democracy are fake values. Because they do not protect anyone in this war.”
“Yes, the law doesn’t work right now. But we do not think it is forever. We have to break this impunity cycle and change the approach to justice for war crimes. A lasting peace that gives freedom and hope for a better future is impossible without justice.”
“War turns people into numbers. We have to reclaim the names of all victims of war crimes. Regardless of who they are, their social status, type of crime they have suffered, and whether the media and society are interested in their cases. Because everyone’s life is priceless”
“Law is a living continuously evolving matter. We have to establish an international tribunal and bring Putin, Lukashenko and other war criminals to justice. Yes, this is a bold step. But we have to prove that the rule of law does work, and justice does exist, even if delayed.”
“We do not want our children to go through wars and suffering... Humanity has a chance to overcome global crises and build a new philosophy of life. It’s time to assume the responsibility. We don’t know how much of the time we still have.”
Note bien…
Imprisoned Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski hasn't been allowed by Belarus authorities to hand over his speech for the award ceremony. His wife, Natalia Pinchuk, who will deliver a speech on Byalyatski's behalf during a December 10 award ceremony in Oslo, said it will still convey her husband's thoughts and statements. "He has been unable to hand it over. The situation with letters is difficult; everything is closely monitored," she told the Associated Press en route to Oslo. "But we have his statements and his thoughts, and the speech will contain them."
Further Reading…
Ukrainian Service, Interview: Director Of Ukraine's Nobel Laureate Group Says Russia Causing 'Unprecedented' Pain- RFE/RL
For years the Kyiv-based Center for Civil Liberties has been documenting war crimes as part of its mission to solidify democracy in Ukraine. Now, says its director on the eve of receiving the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, it is documenting "unprecedented" pain.
Oleksandra Matviychuk told RFE/RL in an interview on December 9, a day before the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo, that as her group collects evidence of an "unprecedented number" of Russian war crimes committed since Moscow sent its troops across the border in late February, the true cost of the war is what is being discovered.
Founded in 2007, the Center for Civil Liberties was chosen along with the Russian human rights group Memorial and jailed Belarusian activist Ales Byalyatski as the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for its actions that "demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy.”
"I always say we are documenting not just violations of the Geneva and Hague conventions; we are documenting human pain. Because we have faced an unprecedented amount of human pain.
"The pain people feel when Russian troops target churches, residential buildings, hospitals, kindergartens; when they carry out forced deportations, attack evacuation routes; when the system of filtration camps is being operated; when murders, rapes, torture, and other crimes against the civilian population are committed on occupied territories. Our life has changed a lot. We are now working completely with this pain," Matviychuk said.
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