Ukrainian human rights defender, journalist and military officer Maksym Butkevich was released from Russian captivity. This was reported by his father and ZMINA. The Center for Human Rights, co-founded by Maksym.

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He went to defend Ukraine in the Armed Forces immediately after the invasion of the Russian Federation and was captured in June 2022. On March 10, 2023, a "court" in the occupied part of Luhansk region sentenced a human rights defender to 13 years in prison for allegedly injuring two women in Severodonetsk by firing a grenade launcher into the entrance of a residential building.

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At a court hearing in March 2024, Maksym said that he defamed himself under threats of torture. The Russians refused to add evidence to the case file that the human rights defender was not at the scene of the alleged crime.

Welcome home, we sincerely thank you for 20 years of human rights activity and wish you recovery ASAP!

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