“I cannot wave the Geneva Convention in front of a Russian tank. Because it will not stop the Russian tank”. Oleksandra Matviichuk at the Lviv Media Forum

On 16-18 May, the 10th Lviv Media Forum, a professional event bringing together Ukrainian and international media experts, was held in Lviv. The jubilee conference was dedicated to advocating Ukraine abroad and its topic was “A Language for Mutual Understanding: Searching for Meaning in a Polarized World”. Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, also attended the event.

The Forum comprised two parts, a conceptual one where ethics, formulation of a common history and communications were discussed, and a practical one dedicated to analysing current challenges, influences and lessons learned from media activities in the context of war and in a polarized society.

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Professor at Columbia University, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, were the key speakers of the Forum. Oleksandra addressed the audience telling them that, being an advocate of Ukraine in times of war, she also faces communicative challenges, stereotypes and Russian propaganda at all levels.

“As a human rights lawyer, I found myself in a weird situation. When someone asks me how to protect people from Russian aggression, I respond, “Give Ukraine weapons”. It is not what people with the conventional perception of human rights protection expect from me. And I am forced to explain to them that I cannot wave the Geneva Convention in front of a Russian tank. Because it will not stop the Russian tank. And that Russia has ignored the decision of the International Court of Justice ordering that it immediately cease hostilities and withdraw its troops from Ukraine. And that where the law does not work, people must be defended and the international order must be restored by legal use of force”, the human rights defender pointed out.

Once again, the Lviv Media Forum brought together over 500 media professionals, researchers, public figures and public intellectuals from 36 countries. Every fourth participant at the conference was from outside Ukraine.