The exhibition of comics entitled "New Activism" started on December 8 in the Agriculture_club Art Space in Petrozavodsk. This is a series of documentary comics about real cases handled by lawyers of human rights organizations. In their works, the artists speak about modern values, war, civic engagement, the importance of every life, and humanity.
The exhibition of documentary comics is organized with the participation of the Public Verdict Foundation, which helps people to protect human rights and freedoms. Stories on notable cases can be seen on the walls of the art space.
For example, The Defense of Rakhaev and Other Different People by artist Alexei Iorsh tells the story of police captain Ruslan Rakhaev, the former Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of Cherkessk. His relatives appealed to the Public Verdict in October 2012. Rakhaev was accused of intentionally causing serious harm to health, resulting in the death of the victim. According to investigators, the policeman beat the detainee to death in the Department of Internal Affairs. Another comic by Iorsh — Fear and Loathing in Yaroslavl — tells about tortures of prisoners in Yaroslavl colonies and the work of the Public Verdict Organization to protect the rights of victims.
There are also discursive comics, among which is The Book That Will Change Nothing — the anti-militarist saying of artist Diana Kavelina.
Natalia Yermolina, the Head of the Agriculture_club Art Space, believes that comics are not only something fun, entertaining and youthful, it is also one of the ways of transmitting information, one of the forms of modern art and communication.
— While there are more and more types of censorship in the country, pressure on the media, active creative people come up with how to get around it. This is another way to express what is happening in our country, - she told the correspondent of 7x7.
The Public Verdict Human Rights Foundation was created in February 2004 and is a non-political non-profit organization. The Fund protects the interests of citizens who have suffered from illegal actions of law enforcement officers, provides free legal protection and information and psychological assistance.
The Public Verdict Foundation has been holding the exhibition of comics about the work of human rights organizations - "foreign agents" - since 2017. They were demonstrated at the Sakharov Сenter in Moscow for the first time. Exhibition’s age limit: 12+.
