Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which became one of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, made a speech at the official award ceremony, which took place on Saturday in the capital of Norway, Oslo.
“We regard [this year’s Nobel Peace Prize] as a recognition of the efforts of the entire Ukrainian people, which bravely stood up against attempts to destroy the peaceful development of Europe, and as a recognition of the importance of the work of human rights defenders in preventing the military threat around the world,” Matviychuk said.
“We are proud that today, for the first time, the Ukrainian language will be spoken at an official [Nobel Prize award] ceremony,” the human rights activist added.
She also emphasized that she is receiving a peace prize during a war started by Russia that has been going on for eight years, nine months and 21 days. “For millions of people, such words as shelling, torture, deportations, and filtration camps have become familiar. But there are no words to convey the pain of the mother who has lost her newborn son after the shelling of the hospital’s maternity ward.”
