Join us on 19 March in the IWM Library for a conversation between Ukrainian journalist and human rights activist Makysm Butkevych and IWM Rector Misha Glenny on Life After Captivity and Justice for Ukraine.
Maksym Butkevych is a journalist and one of Ukraine’s most prominent human rights activists. In spite of his lifelong adherence to pacifism, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2022. During a battle in the occupied Luhansk region in June 2022, he was captured by Russian forces and falsely tried for war crimes. Two years later, he regained freedom as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
Maksym Butkevych is now visiting Vienna upon invitation to the OSCE and will join IWM Rector Misha Glenny in an engaging conversation to reflect on what he has learned from the prison experience, what justice for Ukraine means and what form it should take, and how to build and maintain resilience in the face of a much stronger enemy.
Born in Kyiv, Maksym Butkevych graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and University of Sussex with a degree in Philosophy and Applied Anthropology. As a journalist, he worked for international sections of Ukrainian TV channels and the BBC World Service. In 2006, he co-founded the “No Borders Project” initiative which provides legal and social support to refugees and other forced migrants in Ukraine. His work includes partnerships with international organizations such as Amnesty International and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Most recently, Butkevych’s texts have been collected and published in the book Am richtigen Platz: Ein ukrainischer Friedensaktivist im Krieg (2024).
You can find more information on the event and the registration link here. Please note that the registration will close on 18 March at 8pm.
A cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna.
Photo Credit: Oleksandr Mahula
