Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, Justice, Human Rights, and the Future of Europe: A Conversation with Maksym Butkevych
Join us for an insightful conversation with Maksym Butkevych, a leading human rights advocate and former Ukrainian prisoner of war. In this event, Butkevych will share his harrowing experience of over two years in Russian captivity, offering a powerful account of his fabricated trial and the threats made by his captors about Russia’s wider aggression. He will also shed light on the plight of Ukrainian prisoners of war and detained civilians, urging us to see their fate as a global human rights issue. The discussion will touch on the current state of human rights in Ukraine and feature his new book, "Am richtigen Platz".
About Maksym Butkevych
Maksym Butkevych has been a leading human rights advocate in Ukraine for over a decade, fighting against discrimination and for the rights of refugees and migrants. End of February 2022, he voluntarily joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On June 24, 2022, he was captured by the Russian army in the Luhansk region and later sentenced to 13 years in prison based on fabricated charges. After significant international pressure and advocacy, Maksym was finally released on October 18, 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange involving 95 Ukrainian defenders.
Since his release, Maksym has resumed his human rights work, focusing on protecting the rights of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, countering Russian propaganda and hate speech, and reforming Ukraine’s migration policies. He is a member of the Expert Council of the Center for Civil Liberties and serves on the executive council of PEN Ukraine.
Maksym Butkevych will share his experience of spending more than two years in Russian captivity, where he was subjected to a fabricated trial and unjust imprisonment. He will also provide insight into statements made by his Russian captors, who asserted that Russia’s aggression would not stop with Ukraine but extend to other European countries. This discussion will also address the situation of illegally detained civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war, highlighting why their fate is not only a Ukrainian concern but a broader international issue. Furthermore, we will explore the current state of human rights in Ukraine. We will also discuss the book "Am richtigen Platz: Ein ukrainischer Friedensaktivist im Krieg" (2024, Anthea Verlag), which contains texts by Maksym Butkevych. The book will be available for purchase at the event.
The discussion will take place on Wednesday, 5 March, from 18:00 to 19:30 at Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Leibniz-Saal), Markgrafenstr. 38, 10117 Berlin. A reception will follow.
The discussion will be moderated by Oleksandra Bienert (Head of the Board, Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations) and will be held in English.
Welcome speech: Prof Christoph Markschies, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Organizers: Center for Liberal Modernity and Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations (Germany) in Cooperation with KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Please register at: https://forms.office.com/e/8YSstk0Qzh
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