Art for Freedom: Unseen Civilians

IIn the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been abducted from occupied territories and imprisoned in Russian detention facilities. The exact number of detained or convicted Ukrainians is unknown, but human rights organizations estimate it to be in the tens of thousands. In many cases, there are serious violations of international law: many Ukrainians are victims of arbitrary detention, torture, sham trials, or even extrajudicial executions. Their families live in fear and often receive little or no information about their relatives, as Russian authorities severely restrict communication.

To raise awareness of the situation of these unlawfully detained civilians, the two Ukrainian NGOs Common Sense Communications and PR Army have launched the project “Art for Freedom: Unseen Civilians.” Supported by the Kyiv office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the initiative aims to highlight the stories of individuals whose lives have been shattered by the Russian occupation through powerful graphic art. The works are exhibited in Ukraine, Germany, Portugal, and France, illustrating the personal tragedies behind the statistics.

Ten artworks by artists from Ukraine, Germany, France, and Portugal tell the stories of people who became hostages of Russian aggression under occupation and who deserve truth and justice.

The project is part of a broader campaign of global solidarity with the Ukrainian civilian population affected by Russian violence.

» A support campaign by Common Sense Communications for civilian prisoners held in Russian detention

» Video: Maryna Hovorukhina, curator of the exhibition, about the making-of of the exhibition

More about:
» Publication: A Human Security Collapse: Enforced Disappearances and Detained Civilians in Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Contact: 
Anna Antonina Łysiak
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Referat Ost- und Südosteuropa
E lysiak@boell.de

» Towards Greater Accessibility
At the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we are constantly striving to remove barriers. Whether in our building, in the release of publications or at online events. All information on this can be found under the following link: https://www.boell.de/de/auf-dem-weg-zur-barrierefreiheit