A lawyer and human rights advocate, Oleksandra Matviichuk is the first Ukrainian recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. She received the prestigious award for her work with the Center for Civil Liberties campaigning for democratic reform in Ukraine and the OSCE region. The organization documents war crimes committed by Russian troops since the initial invasion of Crimea, but also develops legislative changes, exercises public oversight of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, and implements international solidarity programs.   

Matviichuk coordinated the Euromaidan SOS civic initiative to provide legal assistance following the government’s crackdown on Euromaiden protesters, which has since monitored political persecution in the illegally occupied regions of Crimea and Donbas. Matviichuk has led similar campaigns, including #LetMyPeopleGo and #SaveOlegSentsov, to fight for the release of political prisoners detained by Russian authorities.

Having authored reports for several United Nations bodies, the Council of Europe, the EU, the OSCE and the International Criminal Court, she has received the Democracy Defender Award and is the country’s first female candidate to be nominated for the UN Committee against Torture.