Human rights activist in Russian captivity honoured with Anne Frank award

Ukrainian human rights activist, journalist, public figure and military officer Maksym Butkevych, who is currently held in Russian captivity, has won a special award named after Anne Frank.

Source: Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US

Details: Markarova said the award is presented every year by the Netherlands Embassy in the US 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 Netherlands Embassy in the US. 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 accept his son's award.

This year, the laureate of the Anne Frank Award was Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In 2012, he, along with Senator John McCain, authored the Magnitsky Act, which introduced personal sanctions against individuals responsible for violating human rights and the principles of the rule of law.

At the same time, Maksym Butkevych was awarded a special award. Maksym's father, Professor Oleksandr Butkevych, came to receive his son's award.

Oksana Markarova said that in her speech at the awards ceremony, she mentioned a chestnut tree near Anne Frank's family home in Amsterdam which has become a symbol of the Anne Frank Award.

"The chestnut tree is a symbol of our indomitable capital, Kyiv, 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 can continue the fight for our independence and for our victory," Markarova added.

Reference: Maksym Butkevych took part in the 1990 Revolution on Granite. He is a lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a journalist, co-founder of ZMINA and Public Radio, 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.

He joined the army at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and was captured in Luhansk Oblast in June 2022.

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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