Ukraine: making the „unimaginable tangible“ through „Voices of War“ – in the spirit of IGFM
The project of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group „Voices of War“ has been close to IGFM’s heart from the very beginning. IGFM has always been an organisation that gives a voice to victims and witnesses of human rights violations. This has been the “spirit” of IGFM for more than half a century. That is why we have been supporting the project for many months now, helping to translate and publish heart-wrenching interviews from the war zone.
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group together with MEMORIAL Germany and the Fritz Bauer Institute at the University of Frankfurt as part of the programme of the Frankfurt Book Fair
From left to right: V. Krüger, K. Krusch, IGFM Germany, I. Sherbakova, Chairperson of MEMORIAL Germany, V. Liamzienko, IGFM Germany, Y. Sakharov, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, S. Kulaeva, Anti-Discrimination Centre “Memorial”, Brussels
On October 18, as part of the programme of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the cooperation of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group with MEMORIAL Germany and the Fritz Bauer Institute, there was a surprise visit by Yevhen Sakharov himself, the chairman of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, which gathers „voices of war“ throughout Ukraine to make the „unimaginable tangible“. So our visit to this joint event at the University of Frankfurt, which we could not miss, was equally sudden and unexpected.
IGFM project assistant supporting “Voices of War” and the project officer from Kharkiv are happy about their first meeting
Remembering how IGFM started
Old and young “IGFM spirits”, from left to right: Valerio Krüger, Carmen Krusch, Yevhen Sakharow, Valeriia Liamzienko
It was all the more pleasing to meet the chairman of our project partner in person… And in the spirit of IGFM, as it soon turned out, Yevhen Sakharov is a long-standing member of IGFM Ukraine! His first trip to Western Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union was at the invitation of IGFM to the Annual General Assembly of the German Section in 1995. He well remembers the founder of IGFM, Ivan Agrusov, and the then Director of IGFM, Karl Hafen.
MEMORIAL stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair
While Yevhen Sakharov will be on his way home for “Voices of War”, MEMORIAL will still be present at the Frankfurt Book Fair. You can find them in Section 4.1. Don’t miss it!
