Should Oleksandra Matviychuk Share the Nobel Peace Prize With Russians?

Last spring in Kyiv, in the spartan second-floor office of the Center for Civil Liberties—which has just received the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize—I met the organization’s leader, Oleksandra Matviychuk. I didn’t know much about her then, and she was pressed between appointments, and the interview threatened to become the kind whose purpose neither side understands. But within a few minutes I realized that she was a remarkable person doing remarkable work.

Matviychuk is a 39-year-old human-rights lawyer. She began working for the Center for Civil Liberties at its founding, in 2007., Matviychuk and the Center for Civil Liberties immersed themselves in the terrible, essential work of talking to survivors of the Russian occupation and documenting war crimes for future prosecutions—ultimately, for justice.