Ukrainian Woman Receives Human Rights Defender of the Year 2024 Award for Recording Evidence of Russian War Crimes Against Children

Head of the Ukrainian human rights organization "Almenda," Maria Sulyalina, received the prestigious Civil Rights Defender of The Year 2024 award in Sweden. This award recognizes outstanding human rights defenders who, at great personal risk, advocate for the civil and political rights of individuals. Sulyalina was honoured for her work in documenting evidence of Russian war crimes against children in Ukraine, as reported on the Civil Rights Defenders' website.

The primary goal of "Almenda" is to protect the rights of over a million children living in occupied territories and to develop national policies for the reintegration of Ukrainian youth.

"Almenda" also maintains a long list of suspects of war crimes against children, supported by evidence, whom Sulyalina hopes will one day be held accountable. She also aims to repatriate all Ukrainian children who have become hostages of Russian occupation.

"Children in occupied territories are often invisible. They cannot speak for themselves as it is dangerous and can lead to criminal persecution, and they are not well protected. Being younger, they are more susceptible to propaganda. Children are our future, and it is our duty to protect them from militarization and indoctrination, and to ensure that reintegration processes consider their needs," says Maria Sulyalina.

Maria Sulyalina became a human rights activist at the age of 15. Since 2013, as part of the "Almenda" organization, she has documented violations of children's rights. Human rights defenders gather photo and video evidence and conduct interviews with teachers and parents for this purpose.

Following Russia's invasion of Crimea and the annexation of the peninsula in 2014, Maria Sulyalina and her organization left the peninsula. Afterward, "Almenda" focused on assisting young people from the occupied Crimean peninsula in studying in Ukraine and integrating into society.

After the full-scale Russian invasion, "Almenda" shifted its focus to gather evidence that could be used in future legal proceedings against Russian war criminals.

Founded in 2011 by a group of human rights activists in Yalta, "Almenda" focuses on promoting democracy, peace, human rights, and media literacy among youth and educators in Crimea. After Russia's invasion in 2014, "Almenda" left the peninsula, and Maria Sulyalina, who was 18 at the time, was left without her native Yalta. Before this, the organization mainly helped young people from occupied Crimea study in Ukraine and integrate into society.