Political persecution has deep historical roots in Russia. Repression is once again serving the current regime as an instrument of silencing, generating hundreds of political prisoners. They include men and women of all ages, pensioners and minors, urban and rural dwellers, representatives of various professions, from activists and journalists to businessmen, priests and housewives. Their non-violent opposition to the war against Ukraine and the current Russian government is often met with harsh punishments.

In the outdoor exhibition Putin's Cage, Gulag.cz presents the situation of political prisoners in Russia through 10 selected stories illustrated by Russian artist Lilya Matveeva, who is currently living in exile in Berlin. However, these are only a fraction of the total number of other unjustly imprisoned people whose fates are not well known in Europe. Yet each of them deserves the attention and support of the free world.

The exhibition will be on display near the Ptačí vrch in sady Svobody in the freely accessible part of the festival from the beginning of the festival on 19 June 2025. "Putin's Cage" will remain there until 31 July. As part of the festival's "Zone of Charity Inspiration", a follow-up discussion with Miroslav Karas, former foreign correspondent for Czech Television and director of Czech Television Ostrava, and Alexandra Skorvid from Gulag.cz, who deals with the fate of Russian political prisoners, will take place on Thursday 19 June at 18:00 in the hall of the Petr Bezruč Library. The moderator will be the director of Gulag.cz Štěpán Černoušek. This event will be freely accessible to festival visitors and the general public.

As part of the discussion, visitors will also be able to write letters in support of people unjustly imprisoned by the Russian regime. The lecturers will help with their formulation, present individual cases and help with translation.

The event is prepared by Gulag.cz in cooperation with the Slunovrat festival. You can learn more about the festival HERE

The exhibition was first presented in September 2024 in the Valdštejnská zahrada in Prague. Its guest of honour was human rights activist and member of the Memorial organisation Oleg Orlov, who was released from Russian captivity in August 2024. During the second stop of the exhibition at Prague's Republic Square in November 2024, Oleg Orlov personally helped with the installation. Symbolically, he hung a panel with his own story, which is also part of the exhibition. Opava will be the fifth stop of this travelling exhibition.