People1st: Civil Society Call to Release Civilian Prisoners Related to the War in Ukraine

Join us for a public lecture with Denis Shedov, a human rights activist and doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. 

At the start of 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, human rights defenders, and civic activists from Ukraine, Russia, and around the world joined forces under one message: put people first. The People1st campaign calls for any peace negotiations around Russia’s war against Ukraine to prioritize the release of war captives — including unlawfully detained Ukrainian civilians, prisoners of war on both sides, Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia, and Russian political prisoners jailed for opposing the war.
Denis Shedov, board member of the Human Rights Defense Center Memorial, will present the campaign’s goals and findings, shedding light on the thousands of people whose freedom and return home depend on this effort. He will also share reflections on the campaign’s first year — its achievements, challenges, and plans ahead — and explain how anyone who shares its humanitarian mission can get involved.
 

In the midst of Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, People1st stands as the first public campaign uniting Ukrainian and Russian human rights defenders to pursue shared humanitarian goals.
 

A reception will follow.