Odessa Rae, a researcher at the anti-corruption foundation, confesses that it is devastating to see the current photographs of the Russian opponent. Interviewed this afternoon by the Washington Post with Maria Pevchick, executive producer of the documentary, she recounted the conditions in which he is being held. The producer of the documentary explains that she accompanied him in his recovery and in his return to Russia and, therefore, she does not hesitate to say that the treatment to which he is subjected amounts to torture. However, she guarantees that the authorities will not be able to break it.
“He has the strongest spirit of anyone I know. He’s someone who always looks at life as if the glass is half full. He’s very strong, but seeing what’s going on is very disturbing,” Odessa Rae explained.
Navalny has spent almost four months in a cell measuring two by three metres, where a detainee is supposed to stay for a maximum of 12 days. Maria Pevchick, who worked with him for a decade, says that limit is not being met with Navalny because when one punishment ends, another begins.
“The Russian prison system, and indeed the current government, have concocted a sick system. New prison rule violations are reported every week that are intended to keep you in solitary confinement indefinitely. These are clearly fabricated accusations. The last one had to do with the fact that he washed his face after hours. Instead of doing it at 6:00 am, as planned, he washed his face at 5:30 am and was penalized. We all understand that his real crime is to continue speaking in against the war and against the Kremlin,” said Maria Pevchick.
Navalny spends 24 hours a day in his cell, he can only have one book, and for half an hour each day they give him a pen and paper to write on. The goal, say the growers, is to have nothing to do. Time costs more to pass.
The documentary, which premiered a year ago, has now been nominated for an Oscar. Navalny’s supporters, who want to keep him alive, say the appointment helps raise her profile. Producer Odessa Rae explains that this is what they worked for. “We worked very hard to get the movie seen because we think it will give him more security. Keeping his name in the public sphere helps keep him alive.”
Maria Pevchick agrees with this opinion and remembers that the documentary is like life insurance because the opponent is in the hands of those who tried to kill him. “With the documentary we reached people who were not interested in Russian politics. It is obvious that today the reality is different, the war in Ukraine meant that what is happening in the country can no longer be ignored. The documentary ends by explaining who he is. it is Putin and what he is capable of. It also shows that Russia is not the president, and he is not Russia.”
The researcher for the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the opposition, argues that the Oscars, which are the world’s largest movie stage, will help make it more difficult for the Kremlin to act against Navalny. The goal now is to ask people not to forget it because Navalny is potentially the future of Russia, a country that will be very different from the one that exists today.
Source: TSF
