Freedom Zone: Supporting Russian Political Prisoners

A documentary, live Q&A with families of Russian political prisoners, and letter-writing to show them they're not forgotten. In Russia today, people are going to prison for a social media post, a donation, a hand-written sign, or saying out loud that they are against the war. They include teachers, doctors, students, pensioners, artists and journalists, and most of them are people the rest of the world has never heard of. The scale is growing steadily. As of mid-2026, the Russian human rights project Memorial recognised 1,680 people as political prisoners, and its broader list of people deprived of liberty on politically motivated and unlawful grounds contained 5,567 names. It learns of roughly 500 new politically motivated prosecutions every quarter, or about five people a day. Memorial itself has been targeted as well: in April 2026 Russia's Supreme Court designated it an "extremist" organisation. This event is a chance to understand what is happening, to hear it from the people living through it, and to do something small that makes a real difference. The film We begin with the screening of a documentary about Russian political prisoners and their families, called "Being a political prisoner's relative". [Russian with English subtitles] Hear from the families of political prisoners After the film, we'll be joined by relatives of political prisoners for a conversation about what happens to a family when someone they love is jailed for their views: the court cases, the prison visits, the costs, and the isolation that often follows. Write a letter We'll end the evening by writing letters of support. You'll choose a prisoner to write to from the stories we share, and we'll provide paper, addresses, guidance on what to write, and will send these letters to the addressees in Russian prisons. For someone in a prison cell, a letter from a stranger on the other side of the world is proof they haven't been forgotten. Public attention also matters: prisoners who receive letters and visible support from outside are less likely to be mistreated. About Freedom Zone Freedom Zone is a volunteer-run organisation that supports Russian political prisoners and their families, providing financial help, raising public awareness, and offering moral support. Its festival has held events in more than a dozen countries across Europe, North America and beyond, and this is its first in Australia. Learn more at freedom-zone.com.