The ZENYK ART GALLERY in Lviv hosted a documentary and art event entitled ‘The Flight of a Prisoner,’ organised by former Kremlin political prisoner Yuriy Yatsenko. The event combined cinema, theatre, music and a human rights discussion. It was dedicated to the theme of political repression and the fate of Ukrainian political prisoners.
The participants included former Kremlin prisoners, human rights activists, public figures and artists. Testimonies were given by Leniy Umerova, Yuriy Yatsenko, Myroslav Marynovych, Vladislav Yesipenko and Igor Kotelanets, head of the NGO ‘Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners’. The event was moderated by well-known human rights activist Maria Tomak.
In his speech, Igor Kotelianets emphasised that:
‘Today's legislation on the social and legal status of persons who have been deprived of their personal freedom does not cover the majority of civilians who have survived illegal imprisonment. The law needs to be changed so that it can be used not only by political prisoners, but also by all victims of Russian aggression.’
An important part of the programme included:
the screening of the film ‘Strong in Spirit’ by director and lawyer Vyacheslav Bigun — a film confession by Yuriy Yatsenko, the first Ukrainian to return from Russian captivity in 2014;
Crimean Tatar musical compositions performed by Honoured Artist of Ukraine Dzhemil Karikov;
theatrical and artistic interpretations of the theme of freedom and defiance.
The event aimed to use art to talk about freedom, dignity and human rights, as well as to remind society about those Ukrainians who are still being held captive in Russia. An important part of the event was fundraising to support the families of political prisoners.
This post was created by the NGO ‘Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners’ with the support of the Askold and Dir Foundation, administered by ISAR Unity within the framework of the project ‘Strong Civil Society in Ukraine — a Driver of Reforms and Democracy’ funded by Norway and Sweden. The content of this post is the responsibility of the NGO ‘Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners’ and does not reflect the views of the governments of Norway, Sweden or ISAR Unity.
