The world will be throwing one hell of a Pussy Riot tonight. Members of the feminist Russian punk band Pussy Riot was sentenced to two years in prison today for the charge of “hooliganism,” or a little something most of the rest of us call free speech. The trio – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina – were arrested in March for performing an anti-Putin song on the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior two weeks earlier. Since then they’ve been jailed and their cause has drawn national attention and support from the likes of Madonna, Kathleen Hanna, Peter Gabriel and Chloe Sevigny. Their supporters have also coined my favorite slogan of all time, “Free Pussy Riot.” But today in Moscow the sentence was handed down during the course of a two and a half hour reading of the damning evidence against them. According to Jezebel, those included “provocative” behavior, engaging in “homosexual propaganda” and being “motivated by religious enmity and hatred.” The religious persecution stuff was a large crux of the state’s argument with witnesses saying the group had caused them “moral harm,” which, let’s be real – phooey.
All this comes on the same day that a Moscow court banned gay pride celebrations in the city for the next 100 years. Yes, ONE HUNDRED YEARS. Yeah, it’s a bad day to be a freedom-loving Muscovite. The women of Pussy Riot have remained resolute and defiant in the face of such tyranny. Their restated their opposition today and even laughed as some of the “evidence” was read. As absurd as all this sounds to our ears, it’s a very real reminder that freedom of speech and the right to protest are still not universal. That women, especially those who assert their rights, are still being quashed and quieted. That simple act of being yourself can be criminal. So we can’t stop fighting until it isn’t. FREE PUSSY RIOT. Happy weekend, all.
p.s. Added bonus, the fact that now news anchors across the world must actually say the words “Pussy Riot.”
6 comments:
Well, in the name of Pussy Riot, protests should extend and go on for the same reasons here. If Ayn Rand's Paul Ryan/Romeny ticket gets elected, watch out women, your bodies will forever be surveiled - for whatever you do with your bodies.
Yes it is an absurd! I'm from Moscow and I protest with all my being and feel such a disgust!
First of all there is no corpus delicti at all.
And secondly... there is a disaster in my country. And many people are scared, angry and scared in the same time. The world community knows only about Pussy Riot, because this case became known all over the World. But there are many similar cases, many people leave the country because of political harassment. And I have no mind about what happens tomorrow...
First place I heard the verdict: NPR. I don't think they mind saying "Pussy Riot," but it's still kinda funny. Except the part where it's not funny.
freedom of speech should be enshrined all over the world...seing the pussy riot band in the orthodox church made me laugh my head off..they were making songs and comments of what they found wrong in their society and the leaders' reactions is to clamp down on them thus inflaming all people and attracting many to their cause of verbal expression. people in power will never learn..and the little people should remind them who put them in power .in the first place. hope they get more publicity because the sentence they received is ridiculous...my heritage is Russian and I am appalled at the shit that still goes on there ... it is time for Russia to get some real leaders that are concerned for their society.
Thanx for writing about them, I was waiting...
First of all, they could have performed an anti-Putin song on Red Square for instance, instead of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Why there?! Protest against politics in the church it's so ridiculous at least.
They were disrespectful, the end.
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