Ukrainian journalist and human-rights defender Maksym Butkevych has been awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which recognizes outstanding civil-society action in defense of human rights. The prize was presented on 29 September during the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Butkevych is a co-founder of the Zmina Human Rights Centre and Hromadske Radio.
Despite being a lifelong pacifist, Butkevych volunteered for the Ukrainian armed forces at the start of the 2022 Russian invasion and served as a platoon commander. He was captured and sentenced to 13 years in prison by Russian forces, enduring over two years of imprisonment before his release in a prisoner exchange in October 2024. PACE described him as “a powerful symbol of courage and resilience” in the defense of justice and freedom. Butkevych dedicated the award to Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilians illegally detained by Russia, and all journalists deprived of their liberty in authoritarian regimes.
The 2025 prize runners-up were Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli and Azerbaijani journalist Ulvi Hasanli, both of whom are currently detained in their home countries. Their representatives—Amaghlobeli’s lawyer and Hasanli’s wife—received diplomas on their behalf at the award ceremony. PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos highlighted that all three shortlisted candidates this year were journalists, emphasizing the critical role of freedom of expression and independent media in sustaining true democracy.
Rousopoulos also noted that by mid-March 2025, the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform had recorded 171 journalists in detention across Europe, including 98 in Council of Europe member states. He called for the immediate release of Amaghlobeli and Hasanli, underscoring the ongoing risks faced by journalists defending human rights and freedom of expression.
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