The Center for Civil Liberties

The Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) is a human rights organization founded in 2007 in Kyiv, Ukraine. It works to continue the mission of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE), which includes promotion of human rights and arms control, but also to foster solidary between former Soviet states and to halt Russian aggression and expansion. The CCL faced its first major test in 2014, when the people of Ukraine rose against the country’s pro-Russian president and Russia seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. During this time, the CCL worked to document Russian crimes against the people of Ukraine. It also helped organize aid for Ukrainian people placed in danger by Russian expansion.

The CCL faced another major test in February 2022, when Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine. The organization helped document the many war crimes of the Russian army, spreading knowledge of those acts to the rest of the world. The organization then helped secure funding and weapons for the smaller Ukrainian military. These efforts helped Ukraine continue to hold its ground against the Russian army. In October 2022, the CCL was named a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Background

The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) was founded in 1972. It included representatives from thirty-three European nations, the United States, and Canada. Its earliest significant success was the signing of the Helsinki Accords on August 1, 1975. This agreement between major world powers notes that all parties accepted the then-current locations of European borders following World War II. This was meant to reduce tensions that another global conflict might break out by avoiding wars of conquest. The signatories of the accords also pledged to respect human rights and to cooperate in economic and humanitarian matters. The accords are considered nonbinding, and do not offer penalties for nations that act against the tenets of the document.

The organization continued to work toward European stability throughout the following decades. This was sometimes complicated by political differences. Notably, countries including the United States and the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) engaged in the Cold War, a rivalry from 1947 to 1962 during which world powers boosted production of weapons such as long-range missiles in an effort to keep one another in check. The OSCE held conferences in European nations, including Spain and Yugoslavia, but did not hold another major summit meeting until 1990, following the collapse of multiple communist regimes in Europe and in preparation for the reunification of Germany, which had been divided at the end of World War II. In late 1991, the USSR collapsed as several republics declared independence. Some former Soviet states became members of OSCE, and Russia took over the seat formerly held by the USSR.

For decades, the OSCE was considered reasonably successful. Most European boundaries remained intact following the fall of the USSR. However, the organization was heavily criticized for its failure to prevent or negotiate a conclusion to a conflict between Georgia and Russia that began in 2008. The Russian government blamed Georgia for starting the war over South Odessa, a portion of Georgia claimed by Russia. While the OSCE continued to operate, activists came to believe that an organization was needed to focus on the region and former Soviet republics.

Overview

The CCL was founded in 2007 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Founders included leaders of human rights organizations from nine former Soviet states who hoped that the organization would be able to create a cross-border resource center for protecting human rights, democracy, and solidary between former Soviet states throughout the OSCE zone. Initially, the CCL concerned itself with ensuring that Ukraine evolved into an independent democracy, avoiding the political domineering of larger powers. This policy was heavily tested in the following years, as Ukraine shifted away from Russian influence and toward further associations with Western states.

In early 2014, the people of Ukraine rose against their pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced from office in February because of his close ties to Russia. During this time, the CCL worked to document human rights abuses against the Ukrainian people carried out by the government and other Russia-aligned authorities. Many of the people of Crimea, a former Soviet republic that was controlled by Ukraine, remained pro-Russia and sought independence. Within weeks, Russia annexed Crimea. The CCL continued to monitor and report crimes committed by Russian military forces including unlawful imprisonment and violent crimes against the civilian population.

The CCL was once again tested in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During this time, the organization continued to hold Russian forces accountable for crimes against civilians. Additionally, the CCL worked to promote solidarity among countries threatened by Russian invasion. They worked to secure aid for the Ukrainian military and to preserve Ukrainian independence and rule of law. Throughout the Russia–Ukraine war, the CCL called on other nations to punish Russia for its aggression. They argued that the Russian Federation should be removed from its permanent position in the United Nations Security Council and punished for its previous territorial aggressions, including those in the former Soviet republic of Georgia and Chechnya, a Russian republic. Representatives of the CCL said that the world’s reluctance to stand against Russia’s aggressions was a primary motivator in the country’s continued militaristic expansions.

In October 2022, the CCL was one of three recipients awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It received the prestigious award alongside a Russian organization called Memorial and Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski. CCL was particularly praised for its work during both the Russian seizure of Crimea and the Russian invasion in 2022. This occasion marked the first time a Ukrainian citizen or organization won a Nobel Prize.

In November 2022, Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights lawyer, activist, and the head of the CCL, called for nations to provide additional weapons to the Ukrainian military, allowing it to liberate Russian-occupied regions of the country. Though other nations refused to lend Ukraine direct military aid in the form of soldiers, many nations provided funds, weapons, ammunition, food, clothing, and other goods to Ukraine and its military forces. Matviichuk argued that liberating Ukraine would be the most effective method of ending Russian war crimes.

Bibliography

“Center for Civil Liberties.” Center for Civil Liberties, 2022, ccl.org.ua/en/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2022.

“Center for Civil Liberties.” Devex, 2022, www.devex.com/organizations/centre-for-civil-liberties-ccl-115582. Accessed 11 Dec. 2022.

“Center for Civil Liberties.” The Nobel Prize, 2022, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2022/center-for-civil-liberties/facts/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2022.

“The Nobel Peace Prize 2022 Press Release.” The Nobel Prize, 7 Oct. 2022, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2022/press-release/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2022.

“Nobel Peace Prize Winners Blast Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine.” Voice of America News, 10 Dec. 2022, www.voanews.com/a/6870729.html. Accessed 14 Dec. 2022.

Specia, Megan, and Oleksandra Mykolyshyn. “Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties Was Documenting Rights Violations Long Before Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion.” The New York Times, 7 Oct. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/world/europe/ukraine-center-for-civil-liberties-nobel-peace-prize.html. Accessed 11 Dec. 2022.