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Center for Civil Liberties CENTER FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES ANNUAL REPORT 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 OPENING REMARKS 4 2 ABOUT THE CENTER FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES 9 2.1 Volunteers and interns 10 3 COALITIONS AND INITIATIVES OF THE CCL 12 3.1 The activity of the Human Rights Agenda Platform 13 3.2 Overcoming the consequences of armed conflict 16 3.3 The #PrisonersVoice campaign and actions in support of Kremlin prisoners 19 3.4 The OZON civic monitoring group 22 3.5 Euromaidan SOS Volunteer Award 24 4 PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CERTAIN VULNERABLE GROUPS 28 5 LEGAL EDUCATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT 29 6 INTERNATIONAL ADVOCACY 31 7 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY 33 8 ACHIEVEMENTS 35 9. CCL TEAM 38 10 COMMUNICATIONS AND WORK WITH THE MEDIA 41 11. FINANCIAL REPORT 2020 43 WWW.CCL.ORG.UA 1 OPENING REMARKS STARTING CONDITIONS even years ago, people on this path, Russia occupied be said that Ukraine continues came out en masse Crimea and launched a hybrid to follow the democratic path S against a corrupt war in the Donbas. Whereas outlined by the Revolution authoritarian regime that Russia has recognized the of Dignity. However, the pace decided to curtail European establishment of its control of the country’s movement integration. They fought for over the Crimean peninsula, on this path is determined their democratic choice and although not immediately, by a number of serious for living in a country where it still denies its participation challenges. And since I will everyone’s rights are protected, in the war in the Donbas. talk about these issues further, the government is accountable A few years ago, in its report, because we have to treat them and controlled, the courts are the Office of the Prosecutor responsibly, I immediately fair and independent, and the of the International Criminal want to make an important police do not disperse peaceful Court noted that in August emphasis. The maintenance student demonstrations. And 2014, an international armed of change of power and demo- they paid a pretty high price conflict began in Donbas. cratic elections, strengthening for it. In other words, the war with local communities as a result When the Yanukovych the Russian Federation. of decentralization are albeit regime fell, Ukraine was given All these seven years, small but positive changes the opportunity to carry out Ukraine has been facing two in a number of indicators of the a democratic transformation. tasks: to build stable democrat- Freedom House’s annual report And this was already a direct ic institutions and to withstand “Nations in Transition”. And this danger to the authoritarian the war. Therefore, speaking is a significant achievement Putin regime. To stop Ukraine of the interim results, it should in these difficult circumstances. THE FIRST CHALLENGE IS REFORMS After the Revolution a change of elites. That the need to carry out radical of Dignity, the country did actually explains a lot. The reforms and maintain control not experience a reboot government, like a tightrope in the context of periodic of the political system and walker, balanced between election cycles. As a result, 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1. OPENING REMARKS the successful reform of the positive changes than in the same time, he had a broad police patrol service was not previous twenty. However, mandate of public trust synchronized with changes the truth is that none of these to carry out systemic reforms, in other police departments. positive changes has reached which he, unfortunately, did As a result, a man politely its point of no return. not take advantage of. Apart detained on the street In the last presidential and from a number of positive by a new patrolman could parliamentary elections, the developments, such as lifting be taken to the police station, society had a huge demand the moratorium on land sales, where an old “cop” was for new faces and a new he has failed to strengthen waiting for the detained. This quality of politics. Ukraine democratic institutions. situation is analyzed in detail followed the world trend, The recent crisis over the in the Chatham House and Volodymyr Zelenskyi Constitutional Court’s report, which was published won the election by a huge decision on anti-corruption before the presidential margin. As a classic populist, legislation proves this. election. Yes, over these he claimed to represent the seven years, the country voice of the people against has experienced more a corrupt political elite. At the THE SECOND CHALLENGE IS WAR The war is not just about justice is implemented direct consequences in the legal field, otherwise, such as 13 thousand dead, it may turn into a demand 23 thousand wounded, one for revenge. Unfortunately, and a half million displaced Ukraine is still only at the people, occupied Crimea and beginning of this path. Donbas, 5,5 million people Solely in terms of the who remained in these occupied territories, territories, or hundreds leaving the circum- of political prisoners. Under stances that Ukraine the conditions of protracted can not influence armed conflict, any society aside, that is, experiences an increase Putin’s aggressive in the pain threshold and the policy, there are level of polarization. The war two tasks that unites only at the beginning have to be done and then divides even more. to overcome the The answer to this should consequences be the effective introduction of the armed of transitional justice conflict. First, mechanisms. The war brought to demonstrate a lot of pain, thousands the success of reforms of people became victims and the convincing attrac- of war crimes. It is important tiveness of the democratic that society’s demand for model. Secondly, to keep Photo by Valentyna Lutsenko WWW.CCL.ORG.UA in touch with the people making mostly declara- in the occupied territories tions: “Crimea is Ukraine”, so that they feel the pro- “Donbas is Ukraine”. These tection of the Ukrainian are very correct declara- state. Instead, all these years tions, but they are barely the authorities have been supported by real action. THE THIRD CHALLENGE IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY Volunteers and NGOs enjoy obligation to submit the highest levels of trust electronic declarations for compared to state and other anti-corruption activists. public institutions. They have The weak reaction led become the locomotives to a shift to tougher methods of positive change in various of pressure and the cessation fields and at various levels. of activities of civil society But civil society in Ukraine activists in the regions. is fragmented. It works So far, with the exception on its narrow topics and of the Who Ordered Katya solves local problems. Some Gandziuk initiative, there are promote an anti-corruption no examples of a systematic agenda, some fight for human effort to protect active rights, some protect the people across the country. environment. As a result, civil In addition, civil society society has not developed is quite detached from “ Of course, the a consolidated position, such ordinary people. In 2019, citizens of Ukraine a broad public agenda that sociologists for the first time could have been imposed registered a decline in civic themselves are on all political forces in the activity to 7.5%. Therefore, the responsible for last election and promoted urgent task for civil society democratic change in society. A clear example is to build clear communica- of this situation is the tion with society, to go beyond in the country, but the rather weak mobilization the cozy activist “ghetto” and challenges we face, of civil society in response to involve as many people first and foremost, to the introduction of the as possible in public work. the war with Russia, are not being addressed within AND THE FOURTH national borders. ” CHALLENGE IS THE 6 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1. OPENING REMARKS INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT All the problems we have undermines the importance of ordinary people took faced in Ukraine are a direct of the EU as a role model responsibility for the devel- reflection of the global crisis for countries in transition. opment of the country in this in the post-war world. This Of course, the citizens difficult period. These people, crisis, like a severe illness, of Ukraine themselves are in fact, perform state func- manifests itself in different responsible for democratic tions without special resourc- ways. In some countries, change in the country, but the es or powers. The question there is an intensification challenges we face, first and of whether this “Euromaidan of authoritarian regimes and foremost, the war with Russia, energy” will help to make persecution of civil society. are not being addressed a qualitative leap and get New gray areas are emerging within national borders. out of the “turbulence zone” on the map as a result Despite the fact that interest is being solved nowadays. of the abandonment of the in Ukraine is declining due Success on this path international principle to objective reasons, the coun- is important not only for of inviolability of borders. try needs it more than ever. Ukraine. I often mention Frozen conflicts are breaking Therefore, Ukraine is still the words of my colleagues, out. People come out in a “transition period” and Russian human rights de- on peaceful protests and face is following the path outlined fenders. When I asked them brutal violence in return. by the Revolution of Dignity. what we could do to help, But even in developed There is inertia which bene- they said, “Be successful!” democracies in the EU, fits from the weakness of state Ukraine’s success will have populist radical forces are institutions, the low legal an inevitable impact on the gaining more and more culture of the population, and entire region, where freedom support, and politicians are sometimes just the irrespon- in some countries is reduced openly denying the principles sible attitude of the ruling to the size of a prison cell.
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