Ukrainian journalist wins Václav Havel prize
The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which honours outstanding civil-society action in defence of human rights, has been awarded to Ukrainian journalist and human-rights defender Maksym Butkevych.
The prize was presented at a special ceremony yesterday (29 September) on 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 of Hromadske Radio.
Two years’ imprisonment
Despite his lifelong pacifism, he volunteered for the Ukrainian armed forces at the start of the 2022 Russian invasion and became a platoon commander.
Captured and sentenced to 13 years in prison by Russian forces, he endured over two years of imprisonment before being released in a prisoner exchange in October 2024.
PACE said that he remained “a powerful symbol of courage and resilience” in defence of justice and freedom.
Butkevych dedicated the award to Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained by Russia, as well as all fellow journalists deprived of their liberty in authoritarian regimes.
Runners-up both detained
The two runners-up for the 2025 prize were Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli and Azerbaijani journalist Ulvi Hasanli.
As both are currently detained in their home countries, their representatives – Amaghlobeli’s lawyer and Hasanli’s wife – each received diplomas on their behalf at the award ceremony.
Opening the ceremony, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos said that it was no coincidence that all three shortlisted candidates this year were journalists.
Right to freedom of expression
“Without the right to freedom of expression and free, independent, and pluralistic media, there is no true democracy,” he pointed out.
Rousopoulos also noted that the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform had recorded 171 journalists in detention in Europe by mid-March of this year – including 98 in Council of Europe member states.
He called for the immediate release of Amaghlobeli and Hasanli.