Human rights activist Butkevych, captured by Russians, becomes laureate of Anne Frank award
Pravda Ukraine
Maksym Butkevych, Ukrainian human rights activist, journalist, public figure and military officer, who was captured by the Russians, became a laureate of the special award named after Anne Frank.
Source: Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA
Details: As Markarkova said, this award from the Dutch Embassy in the USA is given every year for a significant contribution to the protection of human rights.
“#FreeMaksymButkevych. I am very touched by the Anne Frank Award ceremony held annually by the Dutch Embassy in the USA. It honours individuals for significant contributions to the protection of human rights and the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and hate speech,” Markarova wrote.
Maksym’s father, Professor Oleksandr Butkevych, came to receive his son’s award.
Oksana Markarova said that in her speech during the award ceremony, she mentioned the chestnut tree near Anne Frank’s family home in Amsterdam, which became a symbol of the Anne Frank Award.
“About the chestnut, which is a symbol of indomitable Kyiv, our capital, which was occupied by the Nazis in 1941 and which Russian troops tried to occupy in February 2022. It is thanks to such unbreakable warriors as Maksym that we manage to continue the fight for our independence and for our victory,” added Markarova.
Reference: Maksym Butkevych is a participant of the Revolution on Granite, a lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a journalist, a co-founder of ZMINA and Public Radio, a coordinator of the Resource Centre for Assistance to Forced IDPs and a member of the Committee of Solidarity with Kremlin Hostages and the Without Borders project.
From the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia, he joined the army, and in June 2022, he was captured in Luhansk Oblast.
The Russian occupiers “sentenced” Butkevych on trumped-up charges of “brutal treatment of the civilian population” and imprisoned the human rights defender for 13 years.
Read also: Berlinale calls for Maksym Butkevych’s release from Russian captivity
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