Kyiv to host “Empty Chairs” campaign in support of illegally imprisoned, captured, and missing journalists and artists

On November 15 at 2 p.m. the human right action “Empty Chairs” will be held at Sophia Square in support of journalists, writers, cultural artists and human rights defenders who have gone missing, been imprisoned or are in captivity due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The event is organized by PEN Ukraine and Center for Civil Liberties.

The event aims to unite the efforts of all those who support Ukraine and fight for the release of civilians and prisoners of war illegally detained as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

During the event, stories will be told about missing, illegally detained, and imprisoned Ukrainian authors, artists, and human rights defenders. Former prisoners will also join the event:

• Maksym Butkevych, Ukrainian human rights activist, journalist, public figure, and military officer who was held captive from June 2022 to October 2024;
• Dmytro Khilyuk, a UNIAN journalist who was held captive in Russia from March 2022 to August 2025;
• Leniie Umerova, a Crimean Tatar activist who was held captive in Russia from December 2022 to September 2024;
• Yulia “Taira” Paievska, a soldier, volunteer, poet, and public figure who was held captive in Russia from March 16 to June 17, 2022;
• Vladislav Yesypenko, a freelance citizen journalist and correspondent for Radio Liberty’s Crimean service, who was held in captivity by the Russian occupation authorities from March 2021 to June 20, 2025.

The event will be hosted by Maxym Sytnikov, Executive Director of Ukrainian PEN, and Olexandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties.

During the event on Sophia Square, the organizers will set up a symbolic installation of empty chairs bearing the names of illegally imprisoned, captured, and missing authors, media workers, artists, and human rights defenders.

Imprisoned Writers Day, or Empty Chair Day, is observed on November 15 at the initiative of International PEN. Empty chairs at human rights events on this day symbolize authors who cannot be with us due to imprisonment, persecution, disappearance, or murder.

Since 2018, Ukrainian PEN, together with the Center for Civil Liberties, has been organizing a human rights event on this day to remind Ukrainians and the world about writers, artists, and all Ukrainians who cannot be with us on this day due to Russian aggression.

According to the Institution of Mass Information, at least 26 civilian Ukrainian media workers and 1 journalist-combatants are now captured. However, the human rights organizations still receive reports about the persecution and imprisonment of journalists in the occupied territories.

A total of 119 media workers have been killed since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, according to the Institute of Mass Information. Of these, 15 were killed while performing their professional duties, 14 were civilian casualties, and 90 were combatants.

According to the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, nearly 16,000 illegally detained civilians are currently being held in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories, although the actual number may be many times higher. At the same time, as of the end of September 2024, the Register of Persons Missing Under Special Circumstances contains data on more than 70,000 people.

Ukrainian PEN and CCL propose that the families of the civilian prisoners and prisoners of war join the action, bring the sign with the name of their loved one who is captured under the oppression of the occupiers and the aggressor or who is gone missing due to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

The organizers of the action also ask to send all information about the imprisoned, captured or missing authors, artists, human rights defenders who are not included in the public monitoring reports on email ukraine.pen@gmail.com.

Event organizers: Ukrainian PEN, Center for Civil Liberties.

The “Empty Chairs” event will take place with informational support from: Chytomo, Ukrainska Pravda, UP. Life, Ukrinform, hromadske, The Ukrainians Media.

Event partners: Institute of Mass Information, ZMINA Human Rights Center, Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, UHHRU, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, “Reporters Without Borders”.

Media registration available via the link.