The cost of "five small pieces of paper".

"The Russian army has bombed an art school in Mariupol where 400 people were seeking shelter from a fire."

This is one of the 5 stickers stating facts about the Russian invasion of Ukraine that artist and activist Sasha Skochilenko used to replace price tags in a Saint Petersburg supermarket. After being reported by a shopper, she was arrested and detained in March 2022. Last week, she was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony for 'knowingly spreading false information about the Russian army'. In her final statement to the court, she said “How fragile must the prosecutor’s belief in our state and society be, if he thinks that our statehood and public safety can be brought down by five small pieces of paper?”.

Now, it is outrageously obvious that the trial was a sham and that Skochilenko, an LGBTQ+ rights, anti-war and mental health activist, is being made an example of for speaking out against the regime. In fact, shortly before her arrest, Russia enacted two laws that criminalize independent war reporting, discrediting the Armed Forces, advocating the end of the war, as well as backing of economic sanctions. According to Amnesty International, since the passing of these laws, the number of people punished for these administrative “offences” stands at more than 8,000.  

I was struck by Sasha's story not just because of her courage. She must have known that her small yet revolutionary gesture could land her in serious trouble. What is happening to her (and others) is a stark reminder of the fragility of the freedoms we enjoy and the many rights we still take for granted.

#freesashaskochilenko #humanrights #freedomofexpression #activism #blog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

Photo credit https://skochilenko.ru/en

The unspeakable tragedy of Ukraine's stolen children

It's been 634 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been abducted and deported to Russia and Belarus, told their parents have abandoned them, forced to speak Russian, subjected to illegal adoptions and brainwashed. The end game of this systematic policy is the eradication of their national identity and, ultimately, their 'russification'.

Listening to my favourite podcast this morning, I learned that a man called Mykola Kuleba has been awarded the 2023 Magnitsky Award for Outstanding Human Rights Activist prize. Kuleba heads up an organisation called Save Ukraine whose aim is to reunite these children with their families and carers. According to their website, 19,456 children have been identified, 211 saved and returned to their loved ones.

The world is ablaze with so much hatred, violence and destruction. It is all hard to process and impossible to comprehend. The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming, so I sit here and write a worthless blog post. As if it made any difference at all.

#ukraine #saveukraine #savethechildren #mariaprymachenko #blog #beyondthecanvasblog

Maria Prymachenko (1909-1997)

A Dove Has Spread Her Wings and Asks for Peace, 1982

© Prymachenko family foundation

Who poses a bigger threat to society?

Catching up on the news from my 2nd hometown of London, I feel compelled to go off on a rant. It appears that the people threatening the sacred values of Armistice Day are not the 300,000 citizens demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, but rather those representatives of the Far Right who have descended on the city heading to the Cenotaph shouting 'England 'til I die' (whatever that means in their little EDL heads). Emboldened by the inflammatory claims made by the Home Secretary earlier this week, where she effectively questioned the MET police's choice to allow the march to go ahead accusing them of playing favourites with pro-Palestine supporters, these yobs are the ones clashing with law enforcement and wreaking havoc.

Just as a reminder, said Home Secretary is facing legal action for forcing through a new anti-protest legislation that has been labelled "unlawful" by human rights campaigners. In recent days, Tory politicians and client journalists have been going out of their way to condemn those standing up for peace, accusing them of disrespectfully highjacking Armistice day. The last time I checked, that is the day that commemorates the agreement that led to the end of WWI.

Make no mistake, the greatest threat to British society is the current Tory Government.

F*ck you Sue-Ellen Braverman (yes, your parents named you after a trashy TV show character), you hate-inciting, hatred-spewing, dog-whistling, vile piece of sh*t. F*CK.YOU.

#peace #ceasefirenow #henricartierbresson #photography #blackandwhite #fuckthetories #blog #beyondthecanvasblog

Henri Cartier-Bresson

"Peace demonstration", 1945

© Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos