Ukrainian activists will speak about enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions by Russia at the OSCE SHDM II

Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group (ULAG), and Crimean Human Rights Group organize a side event “Civil Society in Russian Captivity: Enforced Disappearances and Arbitrary Detentions by Russia as a Tool to Erase Civic Space in Occupied Territories of Ukraine” during the OSCE SHDM II. The event will take place in Room 533 on May 6 from 09:00 to 10:00.

Since 2014, and especially following the full-scale invasion in 2022, the Russian Federation and its occupation authorities have systematically targeted civilians engaged in civic life, including journalists, human rights defenders, local activists, and even OSCE representatives. These individuals have been arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared, and subjected to inhumane treatment for their public work, pro-Ukrainian position, or refusal to cooperate with the occupation. These actions are not isolated incidents, but a part of a wider campaign to suppress civic freedoms and erase democratic governance in occupied areas of Ukraine.

The discussion will explore the impact of Russia’s detention practices on civic space and peaceful assembly through the lens of affected groups:

• Cases of journalists and media workers detained for reporting on the realities of Russian occupation;
• The fate of the Ukrainian OSCE staff held in Russian captivity;
• Attack on representatives of the Ukrainian local governments with the aim of erasing democratic governance;
• Ukrainian women in Russian captivity with a special focus on volunteers and journalists.

The event will also feature personal testimonies from family members of detainees, ensuring their voices are heard and centered in the discussion.

Speakers:

• Ms. Lyubov Smachylo, Head of the Analytical Department, Media Initiative for Human Rights
• Ms. Ievgeniia Kapalkina, Lawyer, Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group
• Ms. Onysiia Syniuk, Legal Analyst, Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Ms. Olha Skrypnyk, Head of Board, Crimean Human Rights Group
• Ms. Hanna Korshun-Samchuk, niece of Mr. Volodymyr Mykolayenko, the abducted former mayor of Kherson and a civilian detainee

Moderator: Ms. Viktoriia Kuvshynnykova, Deputy Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna