Vilnius has 'sent' Vladimir Putin to a century-old Lukiškės Prison

 

"A life-size cardboard cutout of the dictator was put in one of the cells and can be spotted on a virtual tour around the prison, available on Google Street View. The installation, which is a form of a digital protest against Russia’s authoritarian regime and violence, was arranged after many visitors of the prison said they would like to see Putin imprisoned in Lukiškės Prison (...) The project, which upholds Vilnius’ continuous protests against the brutal aggression of Russia’s authoritarian regime, was created by Go Vilnius, the official tourism and business development agency of Vilnius, Lukiškės Prison 2.0 conversion authors, and Elijas Šležas, a virtual photography artist. 

 

The idea for this unexpected inmate came when designing the virtual tour on Google Street View. It was further bolstered when the prison’s guides said that many visitors expressed their desire to see Russia’s dictator behind bars. Vilnius has been an active protester against Russia’s aggression since February, helping the war refugees and supporting humanitarian, financial, and other war relief missions. Lukiškės Prison 2.0 was chosen as a platform for the installation because, despite its difficult past, it is creating a new vision for its future,” said Inga Romanovskienė, Director at Go Vilnius. 

 

The symbolic imprisonment of Putin allows Vilnius to express its firm stance against aggression, captivity, and autocracy, while its virtual form invites people with the same values to join in (...) Built in 1905, Lukiškės Prison held convicts and political prisoners who were opposed by various political authorities, including Tsarist Russian, Nazi German, and the Soviets. The prison survived World Wars and the Nazi and Soviet occupation and held many political prisoners from Lithuanian, Belarussian, Polish, Jewish, and other backgrounds. After a century of operation, Lukiškės Prison ceased to function as an imprisonment facility in 2019 and opened the doors to the public and the artists as a cultural hub Lukiškės Prison 2.0. Available to the public, the facility has become an open space for culture, artistic expression, and community”