The “All They Want for Christmas is Freedom” campaign aims to draw the world's attention to the problem of Ukrainian civilians held by Russia in prisons.
How to participate in the “All They Want for Christmas is Freedom” campaign
In the days leading up to Christmas, post images and stories of detainees (choose one or more) to X (Twitter), Instagram and Facebook, along with suggested text, or create your own posts based on key messages.
Print posters and place them near your hometown Christmas tree or anywhere else people can see them.
“All They Want for Christmas is Freedom” campaign
The initiative of the Center for Civil Liberties and the Assisto project is aimed at raising awareness of this topic at the international level, informing and engaging the public of individual countries, international and non-governmental organisations in the issue of detained civilians.
The Prosecutor General's Office has already joined the “All They Want for Christmas is Freedom” campaign. Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin called on the world to remember thousands of Ukrainian civilians and to make every effort to secure their release and return to their homeland.
Thousands of Ukrainians are illegally detained in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. They are being held on trumped-up charges. Almost all of them are subjected to torture, ill-treatment and other forms of violence. They are deprived of information, access to legal aid and communication with their families.
Share this campaign with your friends abroad, as Christmas is the best time to remind people about charity and the importance of helping people in need.
Scale of abductions of Ukrainian civilians
Illegal detention of civilians is a war crime widely used by the Russian armed forces against citizens of Ukraine.
Although the widespread unlawful displacement of Ukrainian children has gained international attention, there is also a prevalent occurrence of the illegal detention of adult civilians.
Detention against their will in appalling conditions, torture, and violence against them receive less attention for now. But the scale of the crimes is comparable.
The real number of civilians detained in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Russia is still unknown. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and human rights activists estimate that there are thousands of men and women.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, torture chambers and places of illegal detention have been identified in all regions liberated from the enemy. So far, there have been 104 torture chambers in 8 regions of Ukraine. The largest number of torture chambers were identified in Kharkiv region (25), Zaporizhzhia region (18), Kherson region (11), and Donetsk region (10).
90% of captives and detainees are tortured or subjected to some form of violence, either physical or psychological.
The need for international legal mechanisms
The most common reason people are tortured is because of their pro-Ukrainian stance. The formal charges under which the occupying so-called 'authorities' detain people are often completely ridiculous. Sometimes, simply wearing clothes in the colors of the Ukrainian flag has been enough to be detained.
There are no international mechanisms for the return of civilians illegally detained by Russia. We have to establish them and maximize our efforts in Ukraine and the world to do so. Every single day of delay means new torture for the aggressor's detainees.
We need a united global effort to create mechanisms to ensure the return of both our children and civilians illegally detained by the aggressor. Because these are crimes not only against Ukrainians but also against humanity and the basic principles of international law.
Examples of Russian atrocities
After visiting Ukraine and hearing the testimonies of the survivors of torture, Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, said:
The scale is neither random nor incidental. There is a structure to it. Someone is supervising it, someone is perpetrating it, and someone is interrogating and has this role to do that.
One of the most brutal places is the Kherson detention center, where Russian commanders set up a large torture chamber.
Over 160 men and women were held there in inhumane conditions from March to October 2022. They were systematically subjected to various forms of physical and psychological torture, tortured with electric shocks, sexual violence, beatings, and mock executions.
According to an article at IBA Global Insight by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, one of them, a 32-year-old coffee shop owner from Kherson, who aided protesters against Russian occupation with water and first aid, was arrested under fabricated charges.
An American-made cash register was absurdly used as “evidence” of the US influence. For 17 days, he was subjected to repeated torture.
They released the detainee only after the family paid UAH 100,000. Prior to his release, he was forced to record a video saying that he had donated the money “for the special military operation.”
At least 368 people (including 69 minors) were held in a torture chamber in the village of Yahidne, the Chernihiv region. The youngest detainee was one and a half months old; the oldest was 93 years old. Ten older people died as a result of captivity in inhumane conditions.
Yevhen Hurianov from Bucha was captured by the Russian Military in March 2022. He was accused of being a member of Ukraine’s territorial defence military unit.
The reason for the detention was that he had motor oil on his hands. However, he was a civilian — a car mechanic who was running a family business with his brother and his stepfather from the garage in their backyard.
