On August 19, Lviv hosted the opening of the exhibition “Crimea Through the Eyes of Civic Journalists: 10 Years in Captivity,” which the ZMINA Human Rights Center is organizing in different cities of Ukraine. This exhibition brings together photographs taken by journalists and activists to document the crimes of the Russian occupiers since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea. Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Denys Chystikov joined the event.

During the event, Denys Chystikov emphasized that from the very beginning of the occupation of Crimea, the Russian occupation authorities actively restricted freedom of speech in an attempt to prevent the disclosure of war crimes committed on the peninsula, an excellent example of which was the ban on the functioning of the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR.

The Deputy Permanent Representative also emphasized that after the ban on Ukrainian media, residents, who understood the scale of Russian crimes, began to cover human rights events themselves and to pass on information to Ukrainian and foreign media:

“The occupation authorities, in response to these actions, intensified the persecution of both journalists and activists who tried to convey the truth about repressions and human rights violations in Crimea. The persecution consisted of limiting the ability to cover events and bringing the activists to criminal responsibility on false charges, as happened to Iryna Danylovych.”

“The exhibition, organized by the Zmina Human Rights Center, aims to show that even at the risk of their own lives, Ukrainian citizens continue to record and cover arrests, searches, trials, and other crimes of the Russian occupiers. This activity has become even more important after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2024,” Denys Chystikov said.

The exhibition includes photographs and videos collected by professional journalists and local activists who risk their lives for the sake of the truth. According to the organizers, the exhibition is intended to demonstrate the tireless resistance of Ukrainians in the occupied territories who continue to fight for their rights and freedoms even in the face of constant repression.

During the photo exhibition, there was also an information tent where city residents and guests wrote letters to political prisoners as part of the Letters to a Free Crimea campaign.