Original subtitles

Excuse me.

It's so strange, so awful.

I sympathize. What's happening is very creepy.

I've seen photos. I just want to say...

That we are with you.

Every prisoner in a pre-trial detention center

has the right to two social visits per month.

Sasha hasn't been convicted, just arrested.

In a pre-trial detention center,

she has the right to two visits...

...but only if the prosecutor gives permission.

What's going on here? Is this against the war or what?

This girl was the first in

St. Petersburg to speak out against the war.

She put "price tags" on things and was

arrested. Today there's an appeal hearing.

Is this a support group?

Yes, TV, friends, activists, bailiffs, you name it...

The young man can come in. This one. And you.

When the war broke out...

...St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko

tried to stop it as best she could.

On April 11, 2022, Sasha was arrested.

By locking up Sasha, the government locked

up everyone who disagreed with them.

This is how I ended up in this courtroom

and started making this film...

...together with Sasha's partner

Sonya, and their best friend Lyosha.

Today is the first hearing: an appeal against her arrest.

Sasha is taking part via a video link.

We want Sasha to see us.

Normally, the TV screens are turned around

so the public can see the defendant.

There is a specialist for this, but I have no contact with him.

We're asking you, on behalf of everyone who's come here:

Please let Sasha see us, see our support.

How can you not have everything

prepared if the hearing is today?

We want to express our support and

solidarity. This is very important for her.

We want her to see us. This is the right of every person.

The judicial part of the appeal is now in session.

The accused, Sasha Skochilenko, is

accused of committing a crime...

...under article 207.3 of the Criminal

Code of the Russian Federation...

...and is in custody.

The prosecuting authorities accuse Sasha Skochilenko...

...of deliberately and publicly

disseminating false information...

...about the armed forces of the Russian

Federation, and expressing hostility to them.

Sasha Skochilenko, between 9:25 pm and 9:46 pm...

...on the floor of the grocery store,

replaced at least five price tags....

...with imitation price tags containing the following texts:

"My great-grandfather did not take

part in the Second World War...

...for Russia to become a fascist

state and attack Ukraine."

"The Russian army bombed an art school in Mariupol.

About 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling."

"Russian conscripts are sent to Ukraine.

The price of this war is the lives of our children."

"In the first three days of the

war, 4,300 Russian soldiers died."

"Putin has been lying to us from TV screens for 20 years."

"The result of these lies is our willingness

to justify war and senseless deaths."

These scraps of paper were visible

to an unknown number of people.

Would you like to speak, Sasha?

I believe that those who are afraid

are running away, but I am not.

Of course, I would prefer any

other way of life to imprisonment.

If a respected court ultimately decides...

...that my deeds merit the ultimate

penalty of ten years in prison...

...I will accept that as well.

Show me everything you brought.

This is ultra-pasteurized yoghurt

which can be stored without cooling.

Can't you take them to her without documents?

No. Everything must be checked.

And these products are perishables.

No, they can be stored without cooling for six months.

Once opened, they can be stored for 24 hours maximum.

These are special gluten-free foods.

Not acceptable.

How did he not sign? He looked me in the eye and promised me.

He may have written something, but the boss did not sign it.

Sasha also asked me to bring her a bucket.

That won't fit through the window.

- Maybe you can take it somehow? - Too big for the window.

She begged me for something to wash her clothes in.

You'll have to bring a bucket that fits through this window.

- It doesn't fit. - You need a smaller one.

Try it, maybe it will shrink somehow.

Put that camera away!

It's very sad in there.

And seeing Sasha is very painful.

There are 18 people in the cell.

She's not allowed to sit on the

bed without someone's permission.

And because her bed is a bunk bed, there's a rule...

...that she cannot use it during the day. Only at night.

She says it's quite cold because the window is always open.

Otherwise, all the people there are afraid

it will smell of food, and toilet...

...because the toilet for 18 people is inside the cell.

The only things that help her are paper, pen and pencils.

But colored pencils will be taken away from her immediately.

She's only allowed a black gel pen.

These are such strange rules. I can't imagine...

...how it is possible, after this,

to stay the same as you were before.

It's hard even for me. I lose my appetite

every time I visit my clients in there.

It's like I feel ashamed.

The war immediately divided

Russian society into two realities.

The opposition talked about prisons,

struggle, injustice, repression...

...while the propaganda on official television

sounded even louder and more aggressive.

"The completion of the combat work

to liberate Mariupol is a success!"

"This truly is a liberation operation!"

"The special operation can only be considered over...

...when no territory anywhere is called 'independent Ukraine'."

For some reason, they want to make a scapegoat out of Sasha.

I hoped they wouldn't start looking

for internal enemies until much later.

All the money we earn will go to pay for parcels, and a lawyer.

We will try to help somehow.

A public petition demanding a change

in the preventive measure for Sasha...

...was signed by more than 100,000 people.

Friends started a public fundraiser

to support and protect Sasha.

- Citizens, please leave the hall. - Let me take a picture of you.

Didn't I warn you? No need to clap, citizens.

Otherwise, a protocol will be

issued and immediately acted upon.

No need to clap!

Your Honor...

Question number one. I am accused of committing a crime...

...under article 207.3 of the Criminal Code ...

...of knowingly disseminating false

information regarding the armed forces...

...and the exercise of power by the

authorities of the Russian Federation...

...based on political hatred and enmity.

In this regard, I ask you to clarify what

specifically the prosecution is about.

What exactly expressed my "hatred"

for political persons or communities?

What exactly are the state's claims against me?

The information about the presence

of Russian conscripts in Ukraine...

...has now been confirmed by President Putin.

Yet I am still being prosecuted for announcing this fact.

What exactly, in the opinion of the prosecuting authorities...

...is considered to be my criminal

act in relation to public safety?

What exactly do I need to defend myself against?

Against the claim that Putin has

been lying to us on TV for 20 years?

Or against the fact that I said that the effect of this lie...

...is our willingness to justify war and senseless deaths?

Time to leave, citizens.

- What? No statement? - The hearing is closed.

We should be allowed to hear the decision of the judges.

What? Even that is not allowed?

Oh, Lord...

Let's take that again. Sasha needs a special diet, right?

Take it from there?

Sasha was promised a gluten-free diet...

...but her lawyer tells us she only

gets gluten-free food occasionally.

Without the right food she suffers

severe abdominal pain and nausea.

Coeliac disease is serious. It can

lead to osteoporosis, anemia, cancer.

The request to change detention to house arrest is not granted.

The court decides to extend the detention

of the accused Sasha Skochilenko...

...date of birth 09.13.1990, for two months, until July 1, 2022.

I love you!

Shame on you!

♪ left-right! left-right! we are marching soldiers! ♪

♪ the court has decided ♪

♪ to recognize the punishment ♪

♪ in the form of imprisonment ♪

for a period of six years and eight months

For this performance we won two Golden Mask awards.

And with Xenia we've decided to give one Mask...

...to our wonderful St. Petersburg

artist Sasha Skochilenko!

Thank you, Xenia.

I hope this will help you.

Thank you on behalf of Sasha.

"Air-launched high-precision missiles...

...killed more than 170 Ukrainian nationalists."

"The military is making every effort not

just to complete the operation, but to win."

May.

Sasha faces ten years in prison for

her words about the Russian army.

As an artist, she starts to depict her time in prison:

Walking the concrete courtyard.

The utter loneliness.

Hello, I'm here with regard to Sasha Skochilenko.

Our lawyer requested that a psychotherapist

be made available to Sasha...

...but we haven't received an answer yet.

I saw no such request.

You didn't even see it, did you?

Why did you betray Sasha to the cops?

I'll tell you what happened.

She was your friend. She came to

support you. How could you trap her?

I didn't open the door, they forced it.

They got in. It was such a stupid situation.

Telegram was open on the laptop.

Sasha called me, but they wouldn't let me answer.

The prosecutor started chatting to

Sasha through my Telegram account.

They thought I was an accomplice...

...that those price tags had been printed at my place.

They couldn't have proved that because it wasn't true.

You think they need proof? I don't think

they're really interested in the truth.

They didn't see me as an accomplice,

even though we live together.

Or Lyosha, and he's Sasha's best friend.

So you chose to save yourself at Sasha's expense.

I decided to save myself, but I didn't

see how I could do anything for Sasha.

You could have warned her that they were looking for her.

Just one message... She was on her way to help you.

Now you are free while Sasha will

probably suffer in prison for ten years.

I don't know if I will ever see

her again. She may die in prison.

Yes...

♪ The birds stopped singing ♪

♪ the light of the stars touched the roofs ♪

♪ in your hour of pain and sadness you hear my voice ♪

♪ night gives way to a clear morning ♪

♪ I know happiness awaits us ♪

♪ night and misery will pass ♪

♪ and the sun will rise ♪

♪ the sun will rise... ♪

Put the camera away!

June.

The international human rights

organization Amnesty International...

...recognized Sasha as a Prisoner of Conscience...

...and demanded her immediate and unconditional release.

Sasha is having trouble

accessing gluten-free food again.

Her cellmates wouldn't let her open the fridge by herself.

The prosecutor sent Sasha for psychiatric evaluation.

Is Sasha already on the screen?

Hi, Sasha.

Hello, dear.

Can you hear us?

The hearing will be closed. We will

only be called upon as witnesses.

- I'm so glad to see you! - And we are glad to see you.

The judge has let us film here and

talk to you before the hearing.

Wow.

- Sonya, I'm so glad you came. - I always come.

How are you?

I'm very glad to see you, I miss

you very much, but I try to hold on.

See? So many people have come to take pictures of you!

This dress really suits you.

Thank you.

Thank you for sending doctors to see me, I felt so cared for.

Announcing the judicial part of the decision.

If the prisoner were released...

...she could warn others who took part in the crime.

The rest of the court's decision is unchanged.

When will she finally be released? Today or tomorrow?

Based on the foregoing, the court has decided...

...to refuse the measure of restraint

in the form of house arrest.

The prosecutor's petition is therefore granted...

...until October 1, 2022.

December. Yuri Novolodsky is the third

lawyer who agreed to take on Sasha's case.

He's defended social justice in court for over 40 years.

Now it looks like something on a

scaffold: "Truth supports the world."

"He fought for the truth."

I've fought for the truth all my life.

Hello, Sasha. Sonya doesn't feel very well today.

She increased her medication again, so she's not here.

But she says hello to you and everything.

And how is she now?

Don't worry, she's just sleeping.

Citizens, leave. This is a closed hearing.

Dear bailiffs, let's follow the law.

Before the court is officially in session, nobody will leave.

Stand up.

Let the session start.

- Citizen, leave. - Comrade lieutenant, stop.

Karpushenko A. A., don't touch me.

- Go and stand behind the bar. - Why?

Just do what he says.

As the new year drew near, Sasha received some good news:

The prison agreed to let her use colored pencils.

Thank you!

1: place the dispenser on a flat surface.

2: place the roll of tape on the spool

so that the roll unwinds clockwise...

Stop it, please.

Look, we're busy.

We're shaking the regime here.

- By doing what? - Packing books.

Show your mom how the books turned out.

Where are you?

In a secret location.

Why do we need so many small boxes?

Because some people only need ten books.

Like Anya.

Ten books will go to Istanbul and

twenty to Tbilisi. Or vice versa.

I don't remember exactly.

Sasha

January.

After the installation of CCTV cameras,

Sasha was rebuked for sleeping by day.

Her drowsiness is due to heart problems.

Sasha was threatened with a written report

or even that she'd be put in isolation.

Sasha wryly joked: "Imagine the newspaper headlines:"

"Isolation cell for daytime sleeping."

Filming interferes with the normal course

of the hearing, so cameras are banned.

Your Honor, may I make an application?

No, you cannot appeal to the court.

Are there applications?

On January 20, 2023, the defense filed a petition...

...to change the preventive measure for Sasha Skochilenko...

...from detention to house arrest...

...because of the deterioration in

health of the defendant, as confirmed...

...by medical documents.

The petition was rejected.

Attorney Novolodsky, is this an application?

I'm reading a statement, Your Honor.

This is not a procedural appeal.

It is a procedural appeal, Your Honor!

We do not raise our voice in court.

Let me continue reading the statement.

This is a document from the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Attorney Novolodsky...

I declare that you broke the law!

Cameras, I see cameras.

Let's continue the hearing.

Pages 87 to 90 are a job description for

the role of senior cashier in the shop.

After that, we have details of the senior baker's job.

Your Honor! What evidentiary value

can a cashier's job description have?

Is this really happening? A cashier's

job description can't prove anything.

"Carrying out dough to a machine, and

laying out dough blanks on sheets."

"Stacking sheets of dough pieces into containers...

...putting roll containers with dough pieces into chamber."

"Testing the dough in the chamber, loading

dough containers into the rotary oven."

"Unloading finished products from ovens."

"Assisting in pre-sale preparation of products."

"Packing, marking..."

I'm out of breath.

Shouldn't you hide your last name?

No.

It's already in the case file anyway.

Hi, Lyosha. How is my cat? I saw a

picture of you hugging her on the couch.

I'm glad you get on with her. Is she

sleeping on your head yet? Licking your hair?

What has she torn already? Has she peed on clothes?

Are you reading anything at the moment?

I've read books on Janis Joplin, Freddie and Pink Floyd.

I hope I'll be able to talk to you in person

in four months' time. I'm very optimistic...

...but feeling a bit under the weather.

I haven't been outside for two days,

so I struggle a bit in the cell.

I decided not to stress anymore

before hearings. Hope to see you soon.

That's it.Sasha Skochilenko.

In the spring of the new year,

Sonya and Lyosha went to Moscow...

...to present Sasha's republished

book, her comic book about depression.

They planned to use the sales money to

support political prisoners in Russia.

Hello everyone. I'm very glad to see you here.

We had the idea of republishing Sasha's books a long time ago.

Last summer we did crowdfunding...

...and we hoped Sasha herself would

be able to attend this presentation.

- Everyone lie down on the floor! - Oh, God.

Everyone get down on the floor!

Rita, we're done for.

I was queueing for the toilet when someone

burst in and started yelling, "On the floor!"

Lyosha is still inside.

Lyosha is still in there. I can't leave him, Rita.

I wish he'd run away. Oh God!

I shouldn't have run away. I

don't think I did the right thing.

You did the right thing, because

you had the opportunity. He didn't.

It would have been worse if you'd both been arrested.

They're being taken to the police station.

There are six people in the police van.

The beaten man, not Lyosha, was put into an ambulance...

...and will be taken to hospital.

If Lyosha is released, we may have a

chance to get back to St. Petersburg...

...and even get some sleep before the hearing.

He looked at me like that from under his mask and said:

"I believe blue hair is a private matter for everyone."

I think it was a "coming out", actually...

In the end, people slowly began to be let out.

Lyosha Belozerov, a friend from Sasha

Skochilenko's support group, joins us.

Everyone was released after they

wrote down their passport details.

I was at once charged with an administrative

offense, like unlicensed commerce.

At some point I must have said something wrong.

The same person who hit me at the

very beginning came up to me again...

...and began to barge into me.

He kept saying I was a faggot and

they were going to "rape" me there.

In general, telling me I'm nobody and I have no name.

He got into the police van and

immediately started hitting me again.

Generally went back to beating me and insulting me non-stop.

"Do you understand, you faggot?"

I just wish I could spend two more days with you.

Why two days?

Because when we go to court, I may be arrested, or you may be.

I wish none of this had happened today.

Can we calm down? Please?

If they arrest me, you have to go home immediately...

...and take my computer, that's all.

Today everyone will be at Sasha's

hearing. They won't arrest me there.

Excuse me, I'm here to see a

prisoner. I stepped away for a second.

- I know. - Can I come in, please?

When people leave, it will be your turn.

Thank you.

In April 2023, Sonya learned about

the regulations for prison visits.

Security takes your passport and phone,

then leads you to a cabin with iron doors.

You have to talk to the prisoner by phone,

through the glass. Strictly one hour only.

"Prigozhin has gone crazy. Treason

in wartime is a serious crime."

"The order is to neutralize the

organizers of this armed rebellion."

"Can an eagle be trained to take down drones?"

"The criminal case against Prigozhin

because of armed rebellion...

...was closed within days."

I don't remember.

Rita says Sonya said there's an important

piece of paper which must not be wrinkled.

What piece of paper is that?

Now Rita will write to Daria, and

we will try to resolve the issue.

I can't, Lyosha, I'm going to hospital tomorrow.

I'm trying everything, but it keeps getting worse.

What else do you need to do?

I want a doctor to see Sasha.

About a year after Sasha was arrested

Sonya was diagnosed with cancer.

She doesn't want to think about it, but she needs surgery soon.

By the way, I now call Sasha's mother "Mom".

I will be Sasha's wife, and it seems to be the tradition.

- Are you okay with that? - She loves you very much.

Is it okay with you if I call her "Mom" when we talk?

Of course! There's no question about it.

I'm glad you want to call her that.

- Hello. - Hello.

Did you go?

Yes, we went. It went very well.

When you go together, it's somehow more relaxed.

And Sasha was in such a good mood.

She looks good.

Well, I'd say that she just looks normal...

...not like a dope like it happens in there.

She says she runs. I asked where she runs.

She says, "There's a yard, five

by three meters, and I run there.

- But Sonya, how do you feel? - I'm good.

When will you see the doctor again?

September 20. I have to have

lots of tests every three months.

- Analysis? - Yes.

Everything is alright.

I love you.

I brought the Code of Criminal Procedure.

There's an article about "reasonable duration"...

"The investigation must last for a reasonable amount of time."

I'm still trying to figure out what

a reasonable amount of time is.

The price tag says:

"Russian conscripts are sent to Ukraine."

"The price of this war is the lives of our children."

It is indicated here that conscripts were sent...

...and apparently more will be sent in future.

There's nothing about the future.

Officially they were not sent.

The fact that they were there is completely unrelated.

That is exactly what she meant, that officially

it was impossible, yet they were sent.

The reliability of information from official sources...

...is equal to the reliability of our study.

If this is an official source of

information, we do not doubt its reliability.

The article states, "Communication

of knowingly false information."

If the person distributing it understands that

the information is false, criminal law applies.

But the prosecution now interprets it differently:

Any information that differs from the

authorities' version is automatically false.

And the person must have known this.

Sasha went through the latest hearings without

water, food and with very little sleep.

In July 2023, four searches were carried

out in Sasha's cell in two weeks.

The employees confiscated some of

her medicines and tore up her book.

Sonya, do you want a balloon?

- Yes. - Pink or green?

- Pink. - I'll change them quickly.

Does everyone remember the words to the song?

Here they come!

Three, four...

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday dear Sasha, happy birthday to you ♪

Well, at least I got to wave at Sasha...

- I'll take balloons with me. - Four people can come in.

I see empty seats.

Please close the door, bailiffs.

Everyone can attend an open hearing.

Your Honor, journalists were not allowed in.

Who is filming the court hearing?

Dear court, and prosecutor, I'd like to note

again that document research has shown...

...Sasha Skochilenko to be the author of the price tags.

Sasha, are you the author of the price tags?

- No, I am not. - So where did you get them?

I found them in a group on Telegram.

I did not compose these texts. I did not

write these texts. I just distributed them.

Anastasia Nikolaevna, you are an expert, but

you are now inventing Sasha's authorship.

I did not find any information in the examination materials...

...that refutes Skochilenko's authorship.

Mr. Prosecutor, this is a

present for you. Take it, please.

It's a gift. It's Sasha's birthday.

You are the voice of truth!

- The voice of truth! - Thanks, I'm in a hurry.

She won't be brought out until you leave.

Very interesting. Why?

Use these doors, citizens.

Why are you in charge of the courthouse?

Everyone leaves through this door, citizens!

We want to see Sasha as usual. We

never bother anyone. You know that.

Why is some external official

taking charge of you, dear bailiffs?

The prosecutor sent Sasha's price tags

to St. Petersburg State University...

...for linguists to identify any signs of inflammatory speech.

In September, the court examined the results of this expertise.

Before you entered this room...

...an officer refusing to identify himself...

...threatened, in the corridor, to use

tear gas on those who failed to obey him.

Let's carry on with the hearing.

Dear expert, can you show us

these signs of political hatred...

...that you identified in the texts on

Skochilenko's price tags? Please proceed.

Eleven verbs are used in five statements.

They are, "bombed", "hid", "sent"...

..."stop", "are dead", "are silent"...

..."lie", "justify the war"...

..."Russia became a fascist state", "attacked Ukraine"...

..."participated."

Of these listed verbs, almost nine...

...have a negative communicative

background, with a connotation of hate.

This disorients readers, causing them to feel uneasy and anxious.

They have a persuasive effect.

Maybe it's a smell from the street?

No, it's gas!

Call the emergency services, so they can

put on record that gas was used in court.

Sasha, hold on!

Wet your handkerchiefs!

We have to leave, it won't disperse soon.

Let's use the other stairs, over here.

Please call the emergency services.

Until when is the hearing postponed?

September 28.

10:30 am?

November 16, 2023.

Sasha has now spent over 18 months in detention.

- I'm not ready for this. - Me neither.

Sasha Skochilenko will get the last word.

Dear listeners to this trial.

My case is so bizarre that sometimes I feel as

if confetti will start falling in the courtroom.

My case is so bizarre that the staff of the

prison I'm in, exclaimed with wide open eyes:

"Do they really put people in prison for that?"

Even though I'm the one in the cage,

I'm probably a lot freer than you are.

I'm not afraid to seem strange, vulnerable, weak, funny.

I'm not afraid to be different than others.

It may seem strange, but I sympathize with you.

Wars do not end thanks to soldiers. They

end through the initiatives of pacifists.

Yes, I'm a pacifist.

If we discard all the tinsel of this world...

...such as cars, apartments, wealth, power, success...

...there is ultimately only one thing:

Oh yes, that is life itself.

Life is incredible.

Life is amazing, unique, persistent, life is strong.

The judge enters.

The verdict is announced.

Verdict in the criminal case against Sasha Skochilenko...

...date of birth 09.13.1990, no children.

Sasha Skochilenko has been found guilty

of committing a crime under article 207.3.

She is sentenced to a prison term of seven years.

Shame on you!

We will keep fighting for you. We will fight on...

I love you.

And I love you. More than life itself.

We will be rewarded for everything.

We will have a wonderful life.

I love you more than anything in

the world. More than life itself.

Everything will be fine.

Everything will be fine, I promise. Come visit me soon.

All leave the room!

Please come soon.

I will come to you on Tuesday with Lyosha.

- I love you more than life. - All leave the room!

Can I hold her hand for a second?

No, it's prohibited. Get out.

This is the person dearest to me.

Don't make me use force.

Use it!

Don't touch Sonya!

Keep your hands to yourself!

This session is over. Get out.

Dear friends, let us go.

It is not known in which prison Sasha will

have to serve her seven-year sentence.