EVENT

“A war between democracy and totalitarianism”

The Taiwan Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) invited Ms. Oleksandra Matviichuk, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, to visit Taiwan. She spoke at a public forum titled “Ukraine and Taiwan Experiences: The Resilience of Democracy”. In her speech, Ms. Matviichuk emphasized: “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. When ordinary people step up to help each other, they can change the trajectory of history.”

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and activist. She founded the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) in 2007 to document evidence of atrocities committed by Russia during the war, including human rights violations and the deprivation of victims' freedom and dignity, submitting these findings to international organizations. She actively connects the international community to support Ukraine and continues to safeguard freedom and human rights in war zones, for which her Center was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

Discussing the Russia-Ukraine war, Ms. Matviichuk said: “This is a war between democracy and totalitarianism. Russia wants to use this war to prove to the whole world that freedom and democracy cannot protect anyone. When facing oppression from totalitarian regimes, a sense of powerlessness can lead people to give up resistance. However, social culture is the key to resilience; when people believe in the meaning of their actions, hope will always arrive.”

The forum also invited Mr. Karsten Tietz, Director General of the German Institute Taipei; Legislator Chiao-hui Su; and Prof. Hsiu-hua Shen, Advisor of the Awakening Foundation, to engage in a dialogue with Matviichuk. They discussed how democracies around the world can face challenges from authoritarian regimes and cooperate through legislation, gender diversity, and civil society actions to enhance democratic resilience.

Ms. Matviichuk also met with Taiwan Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chia-lung Lin, as well as Legislators Yun Fan, Chu-ying Lin, and Ngalim Tiunn. She visited the National Human Rights Commission and exchanged views with Taiwanese academics, media representatives, and civil society groups.

Mrs. Matviichuk's tour of Asian democracies included this visit to Taiwan, following her trip to the Philippines, and she will subsequently travel to Thailand to participate in international forums and hold related exchange activities. As the threat of global authoritarian forces against democratic systems, liberal values, and human rights gradually increases, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation hopes that Ms. Matviichuk's visit will deepen the vigilance of the public in Taiwan and Asia against totalitarianism. Through this, we aim to initiate cooperative actions to jointly safeguard the hard-won freedom and human rights of democratic societies.