We are exceptionally proud of HURIDOCS Board member Oleksandra Matviichuk and her team at the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) who have won the Nobel Peace Prize 2022. Oleksandra heads the Ukrainian human rights organisation that won the prestigious peace award just one week after receiving the news that they are the 2022 Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to one individual (Ales Bialiatski from Belarus) and two human rights organisations (Memorial from Russia and the CCL from Ukraine). According to the Committee, the laureates were recognised for their “outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right(s) abuses and the abuse of power” and demonstrate the “significance of civil society for peace and democracy”.
Oleksandra Matviichuk: “Common people have a much greater impact than they can even imagine”
Upon receiving the news of the Nobel Peace Prize, Oleksandra posted on her Facebook page that she is pleased that the CCL received the Nobel Prize together with their friends and partners from Memorial and Vyasna. She added that she believes there are three steps that should be taken to protect civil liberties across the world:
1 – The UN and member states must reform international peace and security to create guarantees for all countries and their citizens regardless of their participation or non-participation in military blocs or military power. Russia should be expelled from the UN Security Council for systematic violations of the UN Charter.
2 – The UN and the participating states must solve the problem of the “responsibility gap” and provide a chance for justice for hundreds of thousands of victims of war crimes. Without this, sustainable peace in our region is impossible. It is necessary to create an international tribunal and bring Putin, Lukashenko and other war criminals to justice.
3 – All my 20 years of experience fighting for freedom and human rights convincingly say that ordinary people have much more influence than they think. The mass mobilisation of ordinary people in different countries of the world and their joint voice can change world history faster than the intervention of the United Nations.
–Oleksandra Matviichuk, HURIDOCS Board Member
In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Oleksandra and the CCL are the recipients of the 2022 Right Livelihood Award, alongside Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman from Somalia, and Cecosesola from Venezuela. Oleksandra and the CCL are recognised for their decade-long work in striving to achieve a full democratic transition in Ukraine and ensuring justice, including accountability for war crimes during Russia’s aggression. The Right Livelihood’s jury said that Oleksandra and the CCL received the award “for building sustainable democratic institutions in Ukraine and modelling a path to international accountability for war crimes.” Oleksandra and her team at the CCL have been instrumental in strengthening Ukrainian civil society and national institutions. They have also pushed to further the rule of law and adherence to international law, including by calling for Ukraine to become a member of the International Criminal Court.
“We wholeheartedly congratulate Oleksandra and the Center for Civil Liberties on these well-deserved honours, which we hope help ensure sustained support of all kinds for their indispensable voices and efforts in Ukraine. As a Board member and a partner to HURIDOCS, Oleksandra exemplifies human rights defenders’ strength, adaptability, and perseverance and it is a privilege to learn from her. For the HURIDOCS team, it is a great honour to help CCL and more than 150 other organisations more efficiently and securely document human rights abuses. The stories, documents, and data they collect are vital to justice and accountability.”
–Lisa Reinsberg, Chair, HURIDOCS Board
HURIDOCS salutes Oleksandra, the Center for Civil Liberties, Ales Bialiatski, Memorial, Fartuun Adan, Ilwad Elman and Cecosesola for their courage and unwavering commitment to promote peace, justice and human rights.
Nobel Lecture: Center for Civil Liberties
The Nobel Prize Lecture ‘Time to take responsibility’ by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2022 Center for Civil Liberties was delivered by Oleksandra Matviichuk in Oslo on 10 December 2022.
Read the transcript in English, Norwegian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian.