Human rights activist Larissa Schessler in an interview with Ulrich Heyden*
(9 January 2023) In this interview, Larissa Schessler describes what has become of the opposition movements in Ukraine since 2014. Schessler is the chairperson of the “Union of Political Refugees and Political Prisoners” in Ukraine and an engineer by profession. She lived in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolayev.
(23 December 2022) Invoking the legacy of the 1914 Christmas Truce during WWI, nearly 1,000 leaders of faith communities are calling for peace and negotiations to bring the war to an end, “People’s Dispatch” reports.
The 2nd December, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the members of the non-governmental organization “Leaders pour la Paix”, to whom he addressed the following words of greeting:
by Gilles-Emmanuel Jacquet,* GIPRI Geneva
(16 December 2022) It is widely acknowledged that the media, media freedom and free access to information play a crucial role in the democratisation of societies (through the formation of public opinion) and the consolidation of peace.1 However, there have also been numerous instances in recent history where the media played a role worthy of criticism in the coverage of armed conflicts or international crises by adopting the war propaganda of certain warring parties or providing partial or even one-sided coverage of certain events, which could and can amount to disinformation.
by Ramzy Baroud*
(16 December 2022) Soon after arriving in Oslo, my taxi zigzagged through the city’s well-organized streets and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Large billboards advertised the world’s leading brands in fashion, cars, and perfumes. Amid all the expressions of wealth and plenty, an electronic sign by a bus stop flashed the images of poor looking African children needing help.
by Wolfgang Herzberg*
(6 December 2022) As a descendant of Jewish-German survivors and a political writer of many years’ standing, whose family members perished in the genocide of the Nazi regime or were scattered all over the world. My parents, out of a deep sense of political responsibility, returned to Berlin after the Second World War, to help build an anti-fascist and peaceful Germany. Against the background of these existential family experiences, I ask myself the following fundamental questions about the war in Ukraine, which I would also like to address to the public and all those with political responsibility.