Oleksandra Matviychuk - Ukraine

"Pressure from civil society has made the difference, as parliament’s declarations enabling the ICC Prosecutor to begin a preliminary examination show."

Head of the board of Center for Civil Liberties

In their own words 

"In Ukraine, one of the single greatest obstacles for national justice is the outdated Criminal Code, which does not yet criminalize crimes against humanity and falls short on war crimes definitions. Another is the politics that saw Ukraine bring in the ICC but later postpone ratification of the Rome Statute for three years. This is a direct path to impunity. 

We’ve proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, but I predict a long struggle ahead. 

Pressure from civil society, however, has made the difference, as parliament’s declarations enabling the ICC Prosecutor to begin a preliminary examination show. It’s only a first step, but it gives us hope that, even when postponed, justice is possible. "


Organization: Center for Civil Liberties

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Missions: To promote the values of human rights, democracy and solidarity in Ukraine and Eurasia to reinforce the principle of human dignity.

Vision:

  • Protection of fundamental rights and freedoms;
  • Representation of the public and public control over the observance of human rights in the activities of national and local governments;
  • Work with young people to create a new generation of human rights defenders and civil society activists;
  • Advocacy and education on human rights and democracy, implementation of programs of international solidarity.