Human Rights Activist Butkevych First from Ukraine to Win Havel Prize
Human rights activist and former BBC journalist Maxim Butkevych became the first Ukrainian to receive the international Václav Havel Prize for his outstanding contribution to the protection of human rights.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Life Pravda.
The ceremony took place during a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The organizers noted his courage and resilience in the fight for justice and freedom.
Maksym Butkevych is a co-founder of the ZMINA Human Rights Center and Hromadske Radio. After the start of full-scale war in Ukraine, he stood up to defend his country, and in the summer of 2022, he was taken prisoner by Russia. In March 2023, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison in the “ Luhansk People’s Republic ” on trumped-up charges.
For some time, his fate remained unknown to his lawyer and relatives. Only later did it become known that he was being held in a prison colony in occupied Luhansk region.
While in captivity, Butkevych was also awarded a special Anne Frank award for his significant contribution to the protection of human rights.
In October 2024, he returned to Ukraine as a result of a prisoner exchange.
People's Deputy Yevhenia Kravchuk emphasized that his path is a symbol of the struggle of modern Ukraine, having gone through severe trials and not betraying his principles.
"His path embodies the struggle of modern Ukraine. A human rights activist who saved refugees for years. A journalist who built free media. Once a pacifist, he took up arms without hesitation to defend his land. A prisoner of war who went through the hell of Russian torture chambers, was illegally convicted, but did not give up," she said.
“Ukraine defends not only its territorial integrity, but also fundamental values. Our co-operation, our freedom and our desire to live in mutual respect, with dignity and without fear, are based on these values,” said Butkevych, accepting the award.
The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize is awarded annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation for outstanding public activity in the field of human rights protection.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, was posthumously awarded the American Oxi Courage Award.