Nobel winner warns of threats to democracy if Russia wins Ukraine war

Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) Prominent human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, whose organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for efforts to document war crimes, warned of the risks to democracies should Moscow win the Russo-Ukrainian war during a talk on Wednesday.

"This Russian war of oppression against Ukraine, this is not just a war between two states, this is a war between two systems -- authoritarianism and democracy," Matviichuk said at the event in Taipei organized by a German-based NGO, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).

She said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, by waging war on Ukraine, is attempting to show the entire free world that "freedom, democracy, human rights [and the] rule of law" are "fake values," "because they couldn't protect anyone during the war."

Putin is telling the world that a country with military might and nuclear power "can do whatever they want," Matviichuk said.

"And if Putin succeeds, it will encourage other authoritarian leaders in different parts of the globe to do the same," she said.

Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and advocate, is the chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for its efforts to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power in Ukraine.

After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Matviichuk co-founded the "Tribunal for Putin" to document international crimes in all regions of Ukraine, which came under attack by the Russian government.

In her Wednesday address, Matviichuk also accused China of helping Russia avoid sanctions and equip Moscow with technologies critical to warfare.

North Korea has also sent millions of artillery shells and troops to help Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine.

Matviichuk argued that these regimes "see people as objects to be controlled" and constantly "deny them their rights and freedoms."

At the same event, Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff, head of FNF's regional office in Southeast and East Asia, noted that Ukraine "must win this war for all of us."

Early Wednesday, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) received Matviichuk at the Presidential Office and praised the Center for Civil Liberties' long-standing commitment to defending human rights in Ukraine.

Hsiao said Taiwan understands the threat and pressure brought by an aggressive neighboring country, referring to China.

That is why Taiwan has assisted in Ukraine's ongoing efforts in rebuilding the country, Hsiao said.