#PrisonersVoice

The #PrisonersVoice application combines artistic practice with modern augmented reality technology. It is aimed at drawing global attention to Ukrainian political prisoners who were or are still being kept in Russian prisons, and to the Russian Federation’s violations of international human rights law. Users of the free #PrisonersVoice augmented reality application will be able to get a complete feeling of how interrogations were carried out, and what happened in Russian prisons to three former prisoners of the Kremlin: Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko and Volodymyr Balukh.

The project uses a new experimental format for storing memories of Russia’s repressive policy regarding the Ukrainians during the war in Donbas and following the annexation of Crimea.

The #PrisonersVoice application is the first to offer a possibility to understand the experience of Ukrainian political prisoners by involving imagination and empathy. In a literal sense, it does not let one close their eyes to the painful moments of the stories of political prisoners, and it explores their stories from the inside.
The application with a 10-minute AR technology presentation can be downloaded on a tablet or a mobile phone. The sound track is available in Ukrainian, and it has also been translated into English. Soon, the application will be updated, and it will have translations into French, German, and Polish.
We call upon the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, as well as the entire global community to take urgent steps to save the Ukrainians illegally imprisoned in Russia, in the annexed Crimea and occupied Donbas.
We also call upon all caring people to take three simple steps that will help to stop the Kremlin’s arbitrary detentions and bring all political prisoners back home.

Step 1. Download the free #PrisonersVoice application for your mobile or tablet and listen to the first-hand stories of Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, and Volodymyr Balukh.
Step 2. Sign the #PrisonersVoice petition - http://chng.it/zgBQKBQgF9.

Today, thousands of illegally imprisoned Ukrainians are in danger in Russia and in the territories it occupies. They are raped, beaten, tortured with electricity, their nails and teeth are pulled out, and they are deprived of sleep, water and food while their family members are threatened with violence. Sign the petition to help to involve international organizations in the cause of releasing the hostages held by the Kremlin.

Step 3. Become volunteer for #PrisonersVoice - http://bit.ly/PrisonersVoice.
The experiences of Sentsov, Balukh, and Kolchenko proves that support is critical for every prisoner of the Kremlin. From letters that help them survive in the prison colonies’ inhumane conditions to campaigns aimed at raising awareness of international actors that put pressure on Russia through sanctions. Only by united actions will we be able to bring Ukrainian political prisoners back home.

The #PrisonersVoice project is implemented by the Internews Ukraine with support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation CSO in cooperation with the Center for Civil Liberties and other partners.The opinions of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation may not coincide with the idea of the authors.

Recent changes:
- Optimized application loading time
- Fixed low fps threshold in menu