Ideas change everything

The ordinary people doing extraordinary things in Ukraine

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Oleksandra Matviichuk |

TEDWomen 2023

• October 2023

How do we defend people's freedom and dignity against authoritarianism, when the "law of war" doesn't seem to apply anymore? In the face of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk considers this question every day. Exposing the failures of the international system of peace and security, she highlights the capabilities of ordinary people during extraordinary times — and urges us all to take an active position in the struggle for freedom. (This talk contains graphic imagery.)

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How do we defend people's freedom and dignity against authoritarianism, when the "law of war" doesn't seem to apply anymore? In the face of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk considers this question every day. Exposing the failures of the international system of peace and security, she highlights the capabilities of ordinary people during extraordinary times — and urges us all to take an active position in the struggle for freedom. (This talk contains graphic imagery.)

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Oleksandra Matviichuk

Human rights defender

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Oleksandra Matviichuk leads the human rights organization and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Center for Civil Liberties, documenting war crimes against Ukrainian civilians perpetrated by Russian soldiers in occupied areas.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.