Butkevych: A Fighter for Human Rights and Peace after Captivity

Butkevych: A Fighter for Human Rights and Peace after Captivity

On March 10, 2025, Ukrainian journalist and human rights activist Maksym Butkevych, who spent almost two years and four months in Russian captivity, is back in public life. Butkevych was released in October 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange. He last spoke on March 5, 2025 at the event “Ukraine’s fight for freedom, justice, human rights and the future of Europe,” hosted by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences.

Butkevych, 47, has had a distinguished career as a journalist, including a stint with the BBC World Service and founding the independent radio station Hromadske. He has also made a name for himself as the founder of several human rights organizations such as ZMINA and No Borders Project. Meanwhile, after the start of the major Russian invasion, he joined the Ukrainian armed forces as a volunteer to defend Kyiv.

Captivity and return

Butkevych was captured by Russian forces in June 2022 and sentenced to 13 years in prison in a mock trial in Luhansk the following year. After his release on October 18, 2023, he spent the first four weeks in a rehabilitation center. Important questions about the rehabilitation of former prisoners and soldiers are now on his agenda. He not only wants to help personally, but also plans to establish a system to support these people.

In his remarks, Butkevych emphasized the need for peaceful but firm action against aggression. He criticized the international community for not doing enough to prevent further conflicts after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. “Ignoring crimes that can only be prevented through violence would make me an accomplice,” he explained.

War and human rights

The ongoing war, which has been raging since February 24, 2022, has led to massive human rights violations in Ukraine. These include not only attacks on civilians, but also torture and arbitrary executions. Butkevych, who describes himself as a peace activist, sees the war as a threat to the international security system and criticizes the rhetoric of politicians like Donald Trump, which he says corresponds to the narrative of Russian propaganda.

It is also important to emphasize that punishing human rights violations is of international importance. The International Criminal Court has opened war crimes investigations and there are moves to create a special UN tribunal to punish the crime of aggression. Butkevych calls for real security guarantees for Ukraine and sees it as essential that the international community shows greater understanding and support for Ukraine.

In his lecture, Butkevych warned of the dehumanization in war and advocated differentiated views between justice and revenge. He is optimistic about the future approach to the conflict, but urges strengthening international security mechanisms to decisively counter aggression.