The International Renaissance Foundation has launched the Open Society Prize. It is awarded to those who fight for justice and build humanity every day, despite the soulless machine of the system.
The award looks like a brick. And this is no accident.
Ukraine is still not a state governed by the rule of law. The rule of law is not a norm, but a dream. A fair trial is not a guarantee, but a struggle. In these circumstances, each of us who does not remain silent and resists evil is a brick. We are putting ourselves in the foundation of the future, building this state as if by hand – block by block, resistance by resistance, word by word.
Masi Nayyem is one of those who keep this wall up. A war survivor, he lost an eye, but not his sight. His vision is sharp, principled, uncompromising. He is not just a lawyer. He is a man who, after the front, injury, and surgeries, did not retreat into the shadows, but went even further – to defend the wounded, veterans, and military. In defense of those whom the state should protect, but cannot or does not want to. He went through all this not only as a lawyer, but as a human being. And that is why he has the moral right to speak.
Along with him, the prize was awarded to Ukrayinska Pravda, Myroslav Marynovych, and the Come Back Alive Foundation – those who tell the truth, hold the moral compass, and save lives.
This brick is about those who build barricades where the state fails. About those who do not allow justice to crumble. About those who build the future with their hands, words, and human rights work.
This is not about medals. It’s about responsibility. Because every brick has weight. And if we do not put them together correctly, a legal and humane state will not emerge.
Congratulations to Mr. Masi and we are proud of the award!