Center for Civil Liberties

What Center for Civil Liberties does

Center for Civil Liberties (Центр громадянських свобод) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian human rights non-profit founded in 2007 by activists from nine post-Soviet countries. The organization pursues a portfolio of programmatic initiatives: #PrisonersVoice (advocacy for Ukrainian political prisoners and civilian captives held by Russia), OZON (public monitoring of assemblies and courts), the Kyiv School of Human Rights and Democracy (free education platform), Euromaidan SOS (volunteer legal aid initiative, reactivated post-2022), the Map of Enforced Disappearances, the Human Rights Agenda (NGO coalition for legislative reform), and the 'Tribunal for Putin' (T4P) initiative documenting international crimes under the Rome Statute, which holds a database of 47,000+ documented cases. Additional campaigns include Make Russia Pay, People First, Justice Week, and Solidarity Talks.

The business model is purely grant-funded: revenue streams consist of international donor grants from Open Society Foundations, NED, US State Department, USAID, Sida, European Commission, UNDP, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Pact, and others, supplemented by individual charitable donations processed via Wayforpay and bank transfers. No commercial pricing exists — all services are provided free to beneficiaries. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on volunteer mobilization, coalition partnerships with FIDH, Civic Solidarity, and the Coalition for the ICC, and direct advocacy into UN, OSCE, and Council of Europe mechanisms.

The customer base splits between beneficiary populations (Ukrainian POWs, political prisoners, civilian captives, civil society activists, general Ukrainian public affected by human rights violations) and institutional funders. CCL has no proprietary technology platform, no commercial product, and operates as a classic advocacy NGO whose competitive position rests on its Nobel Peace Prize 2022 recognition (the first Ukrainian organization to receive it), its war crimes evidence corpus, and the international profile of chair Oleksandra Matviichuk.

Name

Center for Civil Liberties

Legal name

ГО «Центр громадянських свобод»

Website

https://ccl.org.ua

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Center for Civil Liberties is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian human rights non-profit founded in 2007, operating advocacy, war crimes documentation, and education programs for Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilian captives, civil society, and international institutional audiences, funded by international donor grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy and Civil Society Organization

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• War crimes documentation
• Prisoner release campaigns
• Civil society education
• Democratic reforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. International Donor Funding: Major funding from international organizations and governments including Open Society Foundations, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), US State Department, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), European Commission, UNDP, Sigrid Rausing Trust, AA Office, Pact, and USAID. These donors support the organization's human rights work, advocacy campaigns, and documentation of war crimes.
2. Charitable Donations: Accepts charitable donations from individuals and organizations through bank transfers (USD, EUR, UAH via Ukrsibbank) and Wayforpay payment system. Donations are non-refundable charitable contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Center for Civil Liberties is a Ukrainian non-profit civil society organization that delivers human rights advocacy, war crimes documentation, public monitoring of assemblies and courts, human rights education, and international coalition work. Its offerings are organized as a portfolio of standalone initiatives including #PrisonersVoice (advocacy for release of Ukrainian political prisoners and civilian hostages held by Russia), OZON (public observation of peaceful assemblies and judicial proceedings), Euromaidan SOS (volunteer legal aid and war crimes documentation), the Kyiv School of Human Rights and Democracy (free lectures, trainings, and courses), the Map of Enforced Disappearances in Ukraine (interactive database), the Human Rights Agenda coalition (legislative reform), and the Tribunal for Putin / T4P initiative (International Criminal Court documentation).

Product overview

Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) operates as a human rights NGO with a portfolio of programmatic initiatives focused on advocacy, documentation, education, and international solidarity. The organization functions as a unified NGO rather than a technology product platform, offering multiple distinct initiatives: Prisoner's Voice (advocacy for release of Ukrainian political prisoners and civilians held by Russia), OZON (public observation group monitoring peaceful assemblies, courts, and local authorities), Kyiv School of Human Rights and Democracy (free educational platform with lectures, trainings, and courses), Euromaidan SOS (volunteer initiative providing legal aid and documenting violations), the Map of Enforced Disappearances in Ukraine (interactive database), the Human Rights Agenda (coalition for legislative reform), and the T4P/Tribunal for Putin initiative (documenting war crimes). The organization also runs the 'Make Russia Pay' campaign and the 'People First' advocacy initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PrisonersVoice: Initiative focused on the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia, Crimea, and Donbas, as well as civilian hostages held as a result of Russian aggression. Formerly known as #LetMyPeopleGo (2015) and #SaveOlegSentsov (2018), renamed #PrisonersVoice in 2019.
• Euromaidan SOS
• OZON
• Правозахисний порядок денний (Human Rights Agenda)
• Київська школа прав людини та демократії
• Мапа насильницьких зникнень в Україні
• #SaveOlegSentsov
• Трибунал для Путіна (Tribunal for Putin / T4P)
• People First
• Make Russia Pay
• Solidarity Talks
• Justice Week

Products and services

• #PrisonersVoice Initiative focused on liberating Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia, Crimea, and Donbas, as well as civilian hostages resulting from Russian aggression. Provides legal protection, maintains a database of documented cases, and advocates for prisoner releases at the international level.
• OZON Public Observation Group (Група громадського спостереження) Volunteer public observation group that monitors peaceful assemblies, court proceedings, and local authorities in various regions of Ukraine. Monitors freedom of peaceful assemblies and integrity of justice, and since the full-scale invasion has monitored shelters across Ukraine.
• Kyiv School of Human Rights and Democracy (Київська школа прав людини та демократії) Free educational platform providing open lectures, trainings, discussions, film screenings, round tables, and educational courses in Kyiv and other cities. Since creation until 2021, more than 3,000 participants from two dozen countries have attended trainings and events.
• Euromaidan SOS Volunteer initiative providing legal and other assistance to persecuted protest participants across Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, the initiative was revived to document war crimes and support prisoners. Since 2013 it has received over 16,000 hotline calls via volunteers.
• Map of Enforced Disappearances in Ukraine (Мапа насильницьких зникнень) Interactive map documenting enforced disappearances of human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and local government representatives in Ukraine. Developed by the Center for Civil Liberties together with the Euromaidan SOS initiative.
• Human Rights Agenda (Правозахисний порядок денний) Informal coalition of human rights organizations working to improve legislation in accordance with human rights protection standards. Focuses on law enforcement reforms, Security Service of Ukraine reform, judicial system reform, and implementation of international law norms in Ukrainian legislation.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2022)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency providing development support and partnering on human rights programs, rule of law, and democratic governance initiatives.
• Amnesty International UkrainemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Human Rights Agenda platform, collaborating on human rights advocacy and monitoring.
• Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Human Rights Agenda platform, one of Ukraine's leading human rights organizations.
• Kharkiv Human Rights GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Human Rights Agenda platform, specialized in human rights documentation and advocacy.
• Human Rights ZMINAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Human Rights Agenda platform, focused on human rights protection and advocacy.
• Center for Research on Law Enforcement ActivitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Human Rights Agenda platform, specialized in law enforcement reform research.
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational federation of human rights organizations, partner in global advocacy and coalition work.
• Civic SolidaritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of human rights organizations from post-Soviet countries, working on civil society advocacy.
• Coalition for the International Criminal CourtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal coalition advocating for universal jurisdiction and International Criminal Court accountability for war crimes.
• Human Rights House FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization supporting human rights NGOs and coordinating human rights house network.
• UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal cooperation for human rights monitoring, documentation, and advocacy. CCL submits reports and participates in UN mechanisms.
• OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCL cooperates with OSCE for strengthening human rights movement in the OSCE region, participates in missions and advocacy.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean intergovernmental organization, CCL works with on human rights standards, rule of law, and democratic reforms.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Largest and most established international human rights organization with extensive Ukraine documentation work. Operates broadly across all regions with a much larger budget and staff, but overlaps significantly with CCL on war crimes documentation, prisoner advocacy, and UN/ICC reporting.
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH): International federation of 192 human rights organizations and an explicit coalition partner of CCL. Operates as an umbrella/incumbent at a higher level, providing international advocacy and coalition infrastructure that CCL leverages for global reach.

Direct peers

• Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union: One of Ukraine's leading human rights organizations and a core coalition partner in CCL's Human Rights Agenda platform. Comparable in mission, geographic focus, advocacy methodology, and target beneficiaries (Ukrainian civil society and victims of rights violations).
• Viasna (Human Rights Center Viasna): Belarusian human rights organization that shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize with CCL. Operates as a peer in documenting repression, advocating for political prisoners, and operating in an authoritarian/post-Soviet context — making it a natural comparable in mission, methodology, and donor constituency.
• Civic Solidarity: International network of human rights organizations from post-Soviet countries and an explicit partner of CCL. Directly comparable as a regional civil society network focused on civil society advocacy, civic space, and human rights monitoring across the same OSCE-region geography.
• Amnesty International Ukraine: Global human rights organization with an active Ukraine country presence and coalition partner in CCL's Human Rights Agenda platform. Both organizations document human rights violations, advocate for prisoners, and submit reports to international bodies, making them directly comparable in advocacy and methodology.
• Kharkiv Human Rights Group: Long-established Ukrainian human rights organization specialized in documentation and advocacy, and a coalition partner in CCL's Human Rights Agenda. Directly comparable in producing human rights reports, legal analysis, and monitoring activities in Ukraine.
• International Memorial (Russia, now liquidated): Russian historical and human rights organization that shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize with CCL. Comparable as a post-Soviet civil society organization focused on documenting state violations and political persecution, though it has been forcibly liquidated by Russian authorities.
• Human Rights ZMINA: Ukrainian human rights organization specializing in rights protection and advocacy, and a coalition partner in CCL's Human Rights Agenda platform. Highly comparable in operational model, donor base, and focus on civil society in conflict-affected Ukraine.

Others

• Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC): Global coalition advocating for universal jurisdiction and ICC accountability for war crimes — a direct partner of CCL. While not a direct operational peer, it operates as an ecosystem enabler providing the international accountability framework that CCL's T4P documentation feeds into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ccl_ua
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLAiyIS3b492snNFQDHoKCw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ccl.org.ua
• Instagraminstagram.com/center_for_civil_liberties
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-civil-liberties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Civil Liberties