The coalition "Ukraine. Five in the Morning" coalition has received an award from the German Institute for International Affairs, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IFA). The award is presented for the contribution to the promotion of intercultural relations through social, socio-political or artistic activities.
The award ceremony took place in Berlin on 14 February. During the award ceremony, Onysia Synyuk, legal analyst at the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, called on the international community to support Ukraine and make Russia's crimes visible:
"Today, more than ever, we need the support of the whole world. We need it to strengthen the voices of those who suffer from war crimes. Talk about our abducted children, about the dead artists, about the destroyed cultural monuments. Talk about the civilians that Russia illegally holds in its detention centres. Talk about the justice that Ukrainians deserve."
Synyuk also said that Russian aggression has also affected freedom of speech in Ukraine, as the international list of imprisoned journalists currently includes 17 Ukrainians illegally arrested by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories.
"Most of the detainees are Crimeans. Russia has become the country that imprisons the most journalists in Europe: it currently holds 40 media representatives arrested in Russia and in the occupied regions of Ukraine. Russia also illegally holds cultural figures and artists in captivity. They are accused of crimes simply for peacefully resisting the occupation. In addition, since 24 February 2022, Russia has killed 70 journalists. 10 were killed in the line of duty, 60 - as combatants or as a result of Russian shelling or torture," the ZMINA representative said during her speech.
Sinyuk stressed that authoritarian forces are uniting and supporting each other "to return the world order in which human rights are a footnote on the shores, and the world community is guided by the law of the strong".
"Only by uniting, supporting each other in this struggle, in the struggle that every Ukrainian citizen is fighting every day, will we be able to resist them," she added.
For reference: the coalition "Ukraine. Five o'clock in the Morning" Coalition was launched on 25 February 2022, the day after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, the Coalition unites 38 non-governmental organisations and four individual experts. They have joined forces to systematically document war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. The coalition also works to protect the victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war through existing national and international justice mechanisms. All of this is aimed at achieving justice by bringing Russia's ruling elite to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The award has been presented since 2009 to individuals and organisations who, through their social, socio-political or artistic activities, have made an outstanding contribution to peace, international understanding and dialogue between cultures. Previous recipients of the award include Yoko Ono, Ernesto Cardenal, Carla del Ponte and Human Rights Watch.
15.02.2024
