The lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviychuk collects evidence of the war crimes of the Russian invaders in Ukraine. She calls for an international special court for those responsible for the atrocities.
SRF News: How do you and your colleagues go about documenting Russian war crimes?
Oleksandra Matvijtschuk: We have been working with many organizations since February 2022. Not only do we look for open data, which we verify, we also send groups to the occupied territories – with appropriate precautions.
The war crimes we have documented are just the tip of the iceberg.
We collect testimonies from victims and witnesses of war crimes. If something happens, our people are on site quickly. We also take photos and videos. The cases we have documented are just the tip of the iceberg. It is also very dangerous for people in occupied territories to tell us about their experiences.
Legend:
Atrocities committed by Russian soldiers – like those in Bucha, north of Kiev – must be investigated. And those responsible must be brought before an international tribunal, demands Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matwijtschuk.
Keystone/Rodrigo Vol
What do you expect from the international community?
It’s not just a war between two states. It is a war between two systems, between authoritarianism and democracy. Putin is trying to convince the whole world that the rule of law, democracy and human rights are wrong values.
We must ensure justice.
We can’t leave it like that. To win the value debate, to win this war, we must ensure justice.
They are calling for an international court to hold Vladimir Putin and other war criminals accountable. Where do you see the biggest challenge?
The world is still living in an era of the Nuremberg trials, where Nazi criminals were convicted after their regime collapsed.
Legend:
Imago/Hennadii Minchenko
Oleksandra Matvijtschuk no longer goes to the air-raid shelter when there is a bomb alarm. She says: “I do this at my own risk and do not want to recommend it. But the fact is, we now live in complete uncertainty. You never know when a Russian missile will land or if the power and internet connection will suddenly go out. That means you can’t plan – not for the next few hours, let alone for the coming week. That’s why I refuse to go into the air-raid shelter. I’m trying to take back control of my own life.”
But justice cannot wait! These people must be convicted, they must be brought to justice, regardless of whether the war is over or ongoing. This mental barrier is currently the biggest problem. We must establish an international court now, we cannot wait.
What do you expect from a condemnation of those responsible for the victims and their relatives?
We not only document violations of the Geneva Conventions. We document human suffering. Russian troops deliberately bomb residential buildings, schools, churches, hospitals and escape corridors. They murder, rape, kidnap, torture. How can we bring justice to all the victims of this war? War turns people into numbers, the judiciary should give them back their names and their dignity.
Your organization received the Nobel Peace Prize at the end of the year. Has that influenced your work, even helped you?
For decades, human rights defenders from our region have not been heard. I remind you that Russia has been oppressing its own civilian population for years and has committed human rights abuses in countries such as Georgia, Moldova, Mali, Syria and Libya.
Democracies turned a blind eye to Russian human rights abuses, which has resulted in Russia now being a threat to the entire world.
However, states that call themselves developed democracies closed their eyes to these acts and continued to shake hands with Putin. They went about their business, built Nord Stream II, financially supported Russia. As a result, Russia is no longer just a threat to its own people, but to the whole world. We must learn from this. When we received the Nobel Peace Prize, those who fought for human rights were given a voice.
The interview was conducted by Martin Aldrovandi.