„Prison made me even stronger.“ # Interview with Aleksandra Skochilenko, russian artist and activist
Aleksandra Skochilenko, a Russian artist, musician, and comics author, was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to 7 years in prison. She was released last year during an international exchange of prisoners and now lives in exile. Skochilenko was a guest at this year's conference honoring the laureate of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The discussion was moderated by Tomáš Brolík, deputy editor-in-chief of Respekt magazine.
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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
