Try Me For Treason 🎥 The Film

By AM Monday, May 11, 2026

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People And Nature ☭ Written by  Simon Pirani.

1-May-2026

Try Me For Treason is a 50-minute film, in English, featuring speeches made by anti-war protesters in Russian courts. 
It has been made by a group of actors to draw English-speaking audiences’ attention to the stand taken by Ukrainians, and Russians, against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Youtube premiere of the film will be broadcast on Sunday 17 May at 20.00 UK time. To participate, go to this link and hit “Notify me”:

☭ Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, thousands of people have been arrested for protesting against the war. Many appear in court, facing years of imprisonment. What do they say to the judges? What would any of us say? This 50-minute film, in English, features some of their speeches in court.

☭ The speeches are from the book Voices Against Putin’s War: protesters’ defiant speeches in Russian courts (Resistance books, 2025). You can buy a copy, or download a free PDF, via this page.

☭ Readings by John Graham Davies, Leila Mimmack, Gareth Brierley, Maya Willcox and Nick Evans. Script by Simon Pirani and John Graham Davies. Videography by Anthony Aldis.

☭ From Sunday 17 May the film will be free to view, or download, on Youtube, under a Creative Commons licence.

And here is a trailer to share:

There will be an in-person film premiere in London at 6.30pm on Sunday 17 May, just before the Youtube premiere – all welcome! – details below.

☭ This film (which I helped to put together) conveys something of the reality of opposition in Russia to the Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine: defiant individual protests, and these brave speeches in court, are almost the only public expressions of this opposition. But the importance of the stand these people are taking can not be measured in numbers. At a time when not only Russia but also the US, Israel and other powers are plunging the world into a terrifying array of new wars, this has international relevance. So I ask readers to sign up for the Youtube premiere and circulate information about the film -  Simon Pirani, 1 May 2026.

☭ Political prisoner Aleksandr Nesterenko: they fabricate cases, just as they did in Soviet times.

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