In his opening remarks, the Chairperson the Human Dimension Committee, Ambassador Ivo Šrámek, stressed that events of 1989 were driven by a broad people´s call for restoration of principles of democracy and respect for human rights. He pointed out that the origins of the popular movements in Europe in the late 1980s traced back to the 1970s and the establishment of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and Helsinki Committees.

Mr Šimon Pánek, one of the student leaders of the Velvet Revolution and the co-founder of the NGO People in Need, recalled the spirit of civil solidarity and responsibility that prevailed among participants of the country-wide peaceful assemblies in 1989 and during the years that followed: “With the newly gained freedom we felt that responsibility should follow. We should not only expect what we get, we should also offer”, he mentioned. That was the origins of People in Need and their humanitarian and human rights activities. He further elaborated on PIN´s support to human rights defenders as one of the pillars of PIN´s work.

Ms Oleksandra Matviychuk, Head of the Board of the Center for Civil Liberties, based in Ukraine, shared her personal experience as human rights defender in Ukraine. She recalled the mass protests that started as students´ peaceful assemblies in Kyiv´s Euromaidan in November 2013 after which the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine followed. She particularly focused on human rights consequences of the illegal annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Mr Omer Fisher, Head of the Human Rights Department of ODIHR, elaborated on how ODIHR assists participating States in fulfilling their commitments to protect and support human rights defenders. Human rights defenders are people who act to promote or protect human rights through peaceful means. OSCE participating States have recognized the right of every individual to know and act upon his rights and duties and to seek and receive assistance or assist others in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms (Copenhagen Summit Document, 1990). They also emphasized the need for protection of human rights defenders (Budapest Summit Declaration, 1994).

The 1989 Velvet Revolution was a peaceful, country-wide popular movement that ended the communist regime which had started 40 years earlier and re-introduced democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the former Czechoslovakia.