Defending human rights in times of war: A lecture with Oleksandra Matviichuk
The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) invites you to a special lecture with Oleksandra Matviichuk, prominent Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, the Ukrainian human rights organisation awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
About
During her upcoming visit to Stockholm, Matviichuk will join SITE at the Stockholm School of Economics for a lecture addressing her work defending human rights, documenting international crimes, and advocating for accountability in Ukraine and across the wider OSCE region.
The event will be chaired and moderated by Jesper Roine, Deputy Director at Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), Adjunct Professor at Stockholm School of Economics.
About Oleksandra Matviichuk
Matviichuk is a human rights lawyer and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, an organisation working to defend freedom, human dignity, and human rights in Ukraine and throughout the OSCE region.
For many years, she has worked to mobilise citizens in the defence of fundamental rights and freedoms and has extensive experience documenting human rights violations during armed conflict. She has authored reports submitted to institutions including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, and the International Criminal Court.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Matviichuk and partner organisations established the Tribunal for Putin initiative to document international crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court across all regions of Ukraine, including territories under Russian occupation.
Her work has received extensive international recognition. She received the OSCE Democracy Defender Award in 2016 and became the first woman to participate in Stanford University’s Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program in 2017. In 2022, she received the Right Livelihood Award and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, while the Center for Civil Liberties was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. That same year, the Financial Times named her among its most influential women of the year.
More recently, Matviichuk received the Dutch Auschwitz Award in 2025 and, in 2026, was recognised as an Honourable Member of the European Order of Merit for her contribution to European integration and the protection of European values.
Registration
Attendance is free, but registration is required. To attend the event, please complete your registration by [clicking here].
Please note: Venue details will be shared exclusively with confirmed attendees.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at site@hhs.se.
About SITE
The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) is a leading research and policy center on economic development in low-and middle income countries, with a particular emphasis on transition in the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe.
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