Oleksandra Matviychuk

On February 24, 2016 eighteen missions to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gathered to honor a Ukrainian activist with the presentation of the Democracy Defender Award. The awardee, Oleksandra Matviychuk, has been an active campaigner for democratic reforms in her home country of Ukraine. Zhanna Nemtsova, the eldest daughter of murdered Russian activist Boris Nemtsov, introduced the awardee at a ceremony where Matviychuk’s exceptional contribution to the promotion of democracy and defense of human rights was highlighted. The Czech Republic co-sponsored this initiative.

Oleksandra Matviychuk is currently a Chairperson of the Center for Civil Liberties, an NGO aimed at promoting democratic development and human rights in Ukraine. A trained lawyer and author of submissions to the ICC, she is internationally recognized as one of Ukraine's most dynamic and thoughtful civil society activists.