“MO12345LEMONDE” publishes the entire speech delivered, Saturday December 10 in Oslo, by Oleksandra Matviichuk, president of the Ukrainian center for civil liberties, during the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize, also awarded to the Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Russian NGO Memorial.
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This year, whole Ukraine was looking forward to the announcement of the laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize. In our eyes, this prize is the recognition of the efforts of the Ukrainian people, which courageously resists attempts to end the peaceful evolution of Europe. This prize also pays tribute to the work carried out by human rights activists to fight against the military threat that weighs on the whole world. We are proud that, for the first time in history, the Ukrainian language resonates during this official ceremony.
We receive the Nobel Peace Prize today while this war triggered by Russia rages. A war that has continued for eight years, nine months and 21 days for eight years now. For millions of people, the terms bombardment, torture, deportation, filtration camps have become ordinary terms. But no word can express the pain of a mother who has lost her newborn in the bombing of a maternity hospital. A moment earlier, she caresses her little one, calls her by name, breastfeeds, breathes her smell. The next moment, a Russian missile reduces its entire universe to nothing. And now her baby, darling and so desired, rests in the smallest coffin in the world.
There is no ready -made solution to which we, Ukrainians, and the whole world are confronted. In several countries, people are fighting for their rights and freedoms in extremely difficult conditions. Also, today, I will at least try to ask the right questions, so that we can start looking for solutions.
- 1 – How to restore meaning to human rights?
Survivors of the Second World War are no longer of this world. And new generations tend to consider rights and freedoms as achievements. However, even in developed democracies, the forces that question the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are gaining ground. It is not because human rights have been guaranteed in the past that they will be in the future. We must continue, tirelessly, to protect the values of modern civilization.
Peace, progress and human rights are inextricably linked. A state that kills journalists, imprisoned activists and disperses peaceful demonstrations represents a threat to its citizens. But also for the whole region, and for peace worldwide. Consequently, the world must respond adequately to these systematic violations of law. Human rights must have as much weight in political decisions as economic profits or security. This is particularly the case in foreign policy.
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