Transcript for Russian activist on decision to speak out 'in memory of my daughter'
NOW ON DISPLAY AT AN ART
GALLERY IN LAGOS.
SHE WAS SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS
OF HOUSE ARREST FOR HER WORK
WITH THE OPEN RUSSIA MOVEMENT,
CAUSING HER TO MISS THE FINAL
DAYS OF HER DYING DAUGHTER'S
LIFE.
IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY, CIVIL
RIGHTS ACTIVIST ON THE STAGE
CHRONICLES HER JOURNEY TO
SPREAD HER DAUGHTERS EYELASHES
AND TO BUILD A NEW LIFE FOR HER
OTHER CHILDREN OUTSIDE OF
RUSSIA.
ABC'S STEPHANIE RAMOS SPOKE TO
HER ABOUT HER ACTIVISM, HER
FAMILY, AND HER HOPE FOR THE
FUTURE.
>> SO, THE DOCUMENTARY IS
CENTERED AROUND THE FOLLOWED
FROM YOUR WORK WITH THE OPEN
RUSSIAN MOVEMENT.
WORK THAT EVENTUALLY LED YOU TO
SPENDING HOUSE ARREST FOR TWO
YEARS.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
>> FIRST OF ALL, WHY I WAS
UNDER HOUSE ARREST DURING TWO
YEARS?
JUST BECAUSE I TOOK PART IN A
PROTEST AGAINST PUTIN.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
>> THEY PUT ME UNDER HOUSE
ARREST WITHOUT POSSIBILITY TO
COMMUNICATE WITH ANYONE.
I COULDN'T LEAVE THE APARTMENT.
JUST STAYING AT ALL TIMES AT
HOME.
NO INTERNET, NO COMMUNICATION,
NO PHONE CALLS, JUST NOTHING.
I WAS SEPARATED FROM MY ELDER
DAUGHTER WHO DIED A WEEK AFTER
THE HOUSE ARREST.
AND IT WAS, I CAN'T EVEN
DESCRIBE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS,
BECAUSE I WAS STANDING IN FRONT
OF THE JUDGE DURING THE HEARIN,
AND BEGGING HIM PLEASE, LET ME
SEE MY DAUGHTER, SHE IS DYING.
IN THE HOSPITAL, RIGHT NOW, AND
SHE NEEDS ME.
SHE REALLY NEEDS ME.
AND HE JUST SMILED AND THAT'S
IT.
ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER THEY LET ME
GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND SEE HER,
BUT IT WAS JUST AN HOUR BEFORE
SHE DIED.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
>> THEY LET ME SEE HER FOR TEN
MINUTES, AND I TOOK HER HAND,
AND IT WAS COLD.
THERE WAS NO LIFE IN HER BODY
ANYMORE.
IN A COUPLE OF HOURS, WHEN I
WENT HOME, THEY INVESTIGATE AND
ASK ME TO WRITE PERMISSION TO
ATTEND MY DAUGHTER'S FUNERAL.
AND I HAD TO WRITE EVERY DETAI,
WHERE I AM GOING, WHAT I AM
GOING TO DO THERE, WHAT PART IS
GOING TO DRIVE ME THERE AND
BACK.
AND OF COURSE, NOBODY COULD
COME UP TO ME AND SAY SOMETHIN,
OR HUD, JUST ME STANDING THERE
ALONE.
THIS DICTATORSHIP MAKES SO MANY
PEOPLE SUFFER, AND I FEEL LIKE
THIS FILM, ANASTASIA, IS NOT
ABOUT ME AS A MOM GRIEVING
ABOUT THE DEATH OF HER CHILD,
BUT THIS IS ABOUT MY DAUGHTER.
AND MY MISSION IS TO TELL HER
STORY.
>> LOOKING BACK AT YOUR
POSITION, TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS NOW SO
MANY YEARS LATER?
>> I WAS ASKING THIS QUESTION
TO MYSELF HUNDREDS OF TIMES.
I DECIDED THAT I WOULDN'T
RESPECT MYSELF, AND MY CHILDREN
WOULDN'T WEAR SPECTRUM IF I
JUST DO NOTHING.
SO I DO NOT THINK THAT THAT WAS
A MISTAKE.
I PROTEST AGAINST PUTIN, EVEN
ABROAD, AND I RISK ANYTIME I
SAY SOMETHING AGAINST HIM, I DO
RISK, BUT I NEED TO DO IT, JUST
IN MEMORY OF MY DAUGHTER.
>> WE HAVE SEEN THE FILM, YOUR
JOURNEY, TO SAY A FINAL GOODBYE
TO HER, SPREADING HER ASHES IN
THE CITY.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT
AND WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU
TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH YOUR
FAMILY?
>> IT WAS A VERY TOUGH DECISIO,
BECAUSE NOT TO SAY GOODBYE, TO
SAY GOODBYE IN CAMERAS.
WE ALL WANTED IT TO BE A
PRIVATE MOMENT FOR ONLY OUR
FAMILY.
I REALLY CONVINCED THEM THAT IT
CAN BE IMPORTANT TO TELL HER
STORY, AND TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW
RUSSIANS ARE RESISTING THIS
REGIME.
HOW IT IS ACTUALLY DANGEROUS.
FOR ME, IT WAS VERY A SPECIAL
MOMENT TO PUT THE ASHES IN THE
SEA.
IT WAS SUCH A MOMENT WHEN I
FELT LIKE IT WAS JUST MY
DAUGHTER AND ME.
THAT IS IT.
>> HOW IS THE REST OF YOUR
FAMILY HANDLING THIS CHANGE
LIVING ABROAD, AND ALSO THE
PASSING OF ALINA, AND
EVERYTHING YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN
THROUGH?
>> AFTER THE WAR BEGAN, WE
DECIDED TO LEAVE RUSSIA, AND WE
HAD TO BECAUSE WE WERE CLOSE TO
RUSSIA, AT THE SAME TIME ZONE.
SO MY SON NOW, HE IS STUDYING
IN RUSSIAN SCHOOL, AND MY
DAUGHTER IS STUDYING POLITICS.
BUT IMAGINE, THERE ARE SO MANY
STUDENTS FROM BELARUS, AND
UKRAINE, AND RUSSIA, AND ALL OF
THEM FLOOD BECAUSE OF ONE
DICTATOR.
SOME FAMILIES, AND THEIR HOUSE,
THEIR PARENTS ARE IMPRISONED,
SO MANY SUFFER BECAUSE OF THIS
DICTATORSHIP.
>> YOU AND THE DOCUMENTARY VERY
OPTIMISTIC SAYING THAT YOU
BELIEVE THAT YOUR CHILDREN
WOULD BE THE GENERATION TO END
THIS OPPRESSION.
ARE YOU STILL THAT HOPEFUL?
>> YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I SOUND
NAIVE, AND VERY OPTIMISTIC, BUT
THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT I
HAVE HOPE.
AND I THINK THAT RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT PUTIN THE ONLY THING
HE WANTS TO DESTROY, INSIDE YO,
REPRESSING YOU IS YOUR HOPE.
IF YOU STOP HOPING, THEN YOU
WILL STOP STRUGGLING AND
FIGHTING.
>> THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.
AND OUR
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.