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Pussy Riot, Russia

In February 2012, four members of a feminist Russian punk-rock band named Pussy Riot, protesting

against President Vadimir Putin!s go"ernment, #aked into t$e Russian %rt$odo& 'at$edra of '$rist

t$e (a"ior in )osco#* +$ey #ore brig$t-coored baaca"as and performed a pro"ocati"e song caedPunk Prayer, #it$ yrics t$at caed on t$e Virgin )ary to dri"e Putin a#ay, and condemned t$e cose

reations$ip of t$e c$urc$ and t$e Russian go"ernment*

($orty after, t$ree of t$e #omen #ere arrested and detained for mont$s as a 2,00-page indictment

#as compied, accusing t$em of crimina $ooiganism and reigious $atred* %n 1*0*2012, t$e t$ree

#ere con"icted and sentenced to t#o years imprisonment, after a tria #idey condemned by outside

obser"ers as an attack on free speec$* Pussy Riot members face t$reat of "ioence in Russian .ai*

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock group based in )osco#* Founded in /ugust 2011, t$e band

stages pro"ocati"e performances about Russian poitica ife in unusua and unaut$oried ocations,

suc$ as obnoye )esto in Red (uare, on top of a troeybus, or on a scaffod in t$e )osco# )etro*

Warning from Pussy Riot lawyer

/ a#yer for Pussy Riot $as #arned t$at t$ree members of t$e feminist punk band sentenced to .ai

ast #eek coud face "ioence and discrimination because of t$e intense state campaign against t$em*

For $af a year, state-run tee"ision $as buit up a "ery negati"e image of t$em 3 t$at t$ey!re

basp$emers, $eretics, said 4ikoai Pooo", a member of t$e #omen!s defence team* +$e ony

source of information in prisons is state-run +V*

5e $a"e a serious basis to t$ink t$ey can be faced #it$ p$ysica $arm, mora pressure and e"en

"ioence*

)aria /yok$ina, 26, 7ekaterina (amutse"ic$, 80, and 4ade$da +ookonniko"a, 22, #ere found guity

ast #eek of $ooiganism moti"ated by reigious $atred for February 2012 performance in )osco#!s

officia cat$edra criticising Vadimir Putin*

Pooo" said $e #oud appea against t$eir sentence 3 t#o years in a minimum security prison coony

3 #it$in t#o #eeks*

/yok$ina $as aready protested against t$e band!s treatment* In a etter $anded to Pooo" from t$e

detention centre in sout$ern )osco# #$ere t$ey $a"e spent t$e past fi"e mont$s, s$e described $o#

prison officias and specia forces troops $ad treated t$em $ars$y* I found t$is strange, usuay

t$ey!re not so rude #it$ us, so t$at means t$ey!"e got an order, s$e #rote* I #ant to beie"e t$at a

#i end #e, but e"eryt$ing t$at!s $appening points to it being ot$er#ise*

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Russian opposition acti"ists remain enraged by t$e sentencing* %n 21*0*2012, $ackers attacked t$e

site of t$e 9$amo"nic$esky court, #$ic$ $osted t$e tria against t$e t$ree #omen, peppering it #it$

sogans decrying Russia!s .ustice system* +$e $ackers aso defaced t$e site!s main page #it$ a "ideo

by /is, a gay :ugarian singer*

/s #e as e&posing t$e 9remin!s crackdo#n on dissent, t$e tria $as aso s$one a spotig$t on its

increasingy conser"ati"e poicies, encouraged by t$e Russian %rt$odo& c$urc$, incuding repressi"e

anti-gay a#s*

+$e tria $as prompted criticism from some of Putin!s cosest aies* 7et many go"ernment supporters

continue to promote t$e t$eory t$at Pussy Riot #as part of a #estern pot to #eaken Russia*

It seems t$at t$e panned and #e-orc$estrated pro"ocation caed ;Pussy Riot! succeeded, Vadimir

7akunin, t$e 9remin-connected $ead of Russian Rai#ays and a $ig$-profie supporter of t$e %rt$odo&

c$urc$, #rote t$is #eek* +$e group, $e said, #as organised in response to gro#ing %rt$odo& unity*

/s a person, I fee sorry for t$ese young #omen and it!s unfortunate t$at our a# enforcement

system did not find t$ose #$o directed t$is performance, financed it and are no# trying to get poitica

di"idends from it*

Poice are searc$ing for ot$er members of Pussy Riot #$o t$ey beie"e #ere in"o"ed in t$e February

performance of an anti-Putin punk prayer at )osco#!s 'at$edra of '$rist t$e (a"iour*

Court site hacked

/ sogan denouncing President Vadimir Putin #as posted on t$e site as #as an appea for t$e trio!s

reease aong #it$ a "ideo cip of one of t$e band!s atest anti-Putin songs and a cip by :ugarian

singer /is, oca media reported*

+$e $ack attack 3 caimed by /nonymousRussia, #$ic$ says it is affiiated #it$ $acking acti"ist group

/nonymous 3 comes amid a c$orus of criticism of t$e sentences, #$ic$ 5estern go"ernments and

singers said #ere disproportionate and opponents of Putin caed part of a crackdo#n on dissent*

/ screens$ot posted by opposition acti"ist Iya 7as$in on +#itter s$o#ed t$e court!s #eb page topped

by an inscription reading< Putin!s t$ie"ing gang is pundering our country= 5ake up, comrades=

/not$er caption caed for t$e reease of t$e band!s .aied members*

Criticism

+$e >nited (tates and t$e ?uropean >nion caed t$e sentences disproportionate and 5as$ington $as

urged Russian aut$orities to re"ie# t$e case*

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@uman rig$ts groups and musicians incuding )adonna and Pau )c'artney $a"e aso criticised t$e

tria, but opinion pos indicate fe# Russians sympat$ise #it$ Pussy Riot and support from oca

musicians $as been muted*

Russia poice said t$ey #ere searc$ing for ot$er members of Pussy Riot and Foreign )inister (ergei

a"ro" dismissed 5estern criticism of t$e sentences, saying peope s$oud not go into $ysterics

about t$e case*

/so, democracy acti"ist and former #ord c$ess c$ampion Aarry 9asparo" #as caed in for poice

uestioning o"er caims $e bit an officer on t$e $and #$en $e #as detained at a protest in support of

Pussy Riot* )r 9asparo" $as caed t$e accusation dri"e*

Voina connection

+$e connection bet#een Pussy Riot and t$e poitica performance art group Voina $as been $ig$ig$ted

by some of t$e group!s critics and $as been caed an aggra"ating mora circumstance in t$e eyes oft$e conser"ati"e pubic B#$ic$ constitutes about C0 per cent of RussiansD*

Pussy Riot members 4ade$da +ookonniko"a and 7ekaterina (amutse"ic$ participated in some Voina

performances* +ookonniko"a, #$ie pregnant, #as part of a performance in #$ic$ coupes #ere fimed

$a"ing se& in t$e :ioogy )useum in )osco# in 200 #$ic$ $as been caed an orgy by t$e media*

Voina BRussian< EGH J 5arD is a Russian street-art group kno#n for t$eir pro"ocati"e and poiticay

c$arged #orks of performance art* +$e group $as $ad more t$an si&ty members, incuding former and

current students of t$e Rodc$enko )osco# (c$oo of P$otograp$y, )osco# (tate >ni"ersity, and +artu

>ni"ersity* @o#e"er, t$e group does not cooperate #it$ state or pri"ate institutions, and is not

supported by any Russian curators or gaerists*

+$e acti"ities of Voina $a"e ranged from street protests, symboic pranks in pubic paces, and

performance-art $appenings, to "andaism and destruction of pubic property*