Artists in Oppression in 64 seconds
On October 1, the Václav Havel Library at the UMPRUM Technology Center in Prague organized an international conference in honor of the laureate, subtitled Artists in Oppression.
In addition to Maksym Butkevych, the laureate of the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, speakers included Belarusian writer and journalist Sasha Filipenko, Russian artist Sasha Skochilenko, artist and journalist Samantha Jirón from Nicaragua, Azerbaijani rapper and activist Jamal Ali, and Natallia Mackevičová, who presented the Belarusian documentary film about Sjarhej Cichanouski, One Of Us.
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Serie: Artists in Oppression / 2025
13th annual International Conference in Honour of the Laureate of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
“The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle.”
Václav Havel (Summer Meditations, 1991)
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Venue: Technology Center of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Mikulandská 5, Prague 1
Under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský
Freedom of artistic creation is one of the fundamental human rights, at least according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, which lists it alongside other human rights. Artistic freedom is a specific type of freedom of expression, and it is no coincidence that artists, along with journalists and commentators, tend to head lists of persecuted individuals. Through their work, artists stir up society and f
„Prison made me even stronger.“ # Interview with Aleksandra Skochilenko, russian artist and activist
