MARIUPOL. FILTRATION #LIVE

Interrogations, beatings, forced undressing, abuse, the collection of personal data, disappearances…

The occupying authorities refer to forced checks of Ukrainian citizens on the streets, in residential buildings, and at checkpoints as “filtration.” Since spring 2022, Mariupol residents have been subjected to mandatory registration at special filtration points.

International organizations have documented that these checks targeted not only people connected to the military. Thousands of Mariupol civilians have reportedly failed filtration, while their relatives and friends have been left without reliable information about their whereabouts or health. Families have been torn apart, and children have been taken to Russia, leaving their families uncertain about their fate.

The occupying authorities seek to suppress those who identify themselves as citizens and patriots of Ukraine.

These human rights violations must be documented, studied, and remembered, while every effort must be made to prevent such crimes from continuing.

Through the exhibition “Mariupol. Filtration,” we seek to tell the stories of thousands of Mariupol residents who survived the horrors of the siege and destruction of their city and were then forced to undergo interrogations and further ordeals, experiencing life under occupation.

The shameful piece of paper marked “fingerprinted,” which people received after undergoing filtration, became a document granting them the right to exist in the occupied city.

Lost lives. Shattered families. Destroyed futures.

Bring back freedom. Bring our people home.