Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot
Seven members of the band Pussy Riot
Background information
Origin	Moscow, Russia
Genres	Punk rock, riot grrrl
Years active	2011 (2011)–present
Labels	None
Website	pussy-riot.livejournal.com

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock musical collective that stages politically provocative impromptu performances in Moscow, in unusual locations such as on top of a trolleybus and on a scaffold in the Moscow Metro, on Russian political life.

On February, 21, 2012, the group staged a performance, called a "punk prayer", at the altar of the Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, motivated by their opposition to Vladimir Putin, and politics of the Russian Orthodox Church. Text of the song included phrases like "Virgin Mary, drive Putin away", "Virgin Mary, become a feminist", "all parishoners crawl on their bellies", "holy shit", etc. Performance was interrupted by the church security. On March 3, after the video of the performance appeared online, three of the four group members were arrested and charged with hooliganism aimed at inciting religious hatred.

Their trial began in late July, and effectively split the public opinion in Russia. A majority of Russians supported the trial, on the grounds that the performance was a hate crime, intended as blasphemous towards Orthodox beliefs. On the other hand, the band members gained sympathy of many in Russia and internationally, because of allegations of harsh treatment while in custody and a risk of a possible seven-year jail sentence.

On August 17, 2012, the three members were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two years imprisonment each. The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement appealing to the authorities to show mercy, within the law, and appealing to "divide the sin from sinner and reprimand the first while hoping the latter will improve". Foreign ministries of Germany, Sweden and representatives of the European Union and the United States called the sentence "disproportionate". A poll by the Levada Center showed that the majority of Russians did not support Pussy Riot and believed in the fairness of the trial.

Performances and influences

A performance at Lobnoye Mesto, on Red Square

Interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Their usual costumes are brightly colored dresses and tights, even in bitterly cold weather, with their faces masked by balaclavas, both while performing and giving interviews, for which they always use pseudonyms. The collective is made up of about 10 performers, and about 15 people who handle the technical work of shooting and editing their videos, which are posted to the Internet. The group cites punk rock and Oi! bands Angelic Upstarts, Cockney Rejects, Sham 69 and The 4-Skins as their most important musical inspiration.

The band also cite American punk rock band Bikini Kill and the Riot grrrl movement of the 1990s as an inspiration. They have said: "What we have in common is impudence, politically loaded lyrics, the importance of feminist discourse and a non-standard female image."

Church protest

On 21 February 2012, as a part of a protest movement against the re-election of Vladimir Putin, four women from the group came to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow with their identities masked, crossed themselves, bowed to the altar and began to perform the song "Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away" which contains the lyrics: "Shit, shit, the Lord's shit!". After less than one minute they were escorted outside the building by guards. The film of the performance was later used to create a video clip for the song.

In the song, the group asked the "Theotokos" (Virgin Mary) to "become a feminist" and "put Putin away". The song criticizes the repression of dissent in Russia and the church's support for Vladimir Putin. The Russian Patriarch, Kirill I of Moscow, is described as someone who believes in Putin rather than in God. Kirill had shown open support for Putin as a candidate before the presidential election.

Arrest and prosecution

On March 3, 2012, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, two alleged members of Pussy Riot, were arrested by Russian authorities and accused of hooliganism. Both women at first denied being members of the group and started a hunger strike in protest against being held in jail away from their young children until their case came to trial in April. On March 16 another woman, Yekaterina Samutsevitch, who had earlier been questioned as a witness in this case, was similarly arrested and charged.

On June 4 the group was presented with formal charges on an indictment 2,800 pages long. On July 4 they were suddenly informed that they would have to finish preparing their defense by July 9. They announced a hunger strike in response, saying that two working days was inadequate time for preparations for a trial defense. On July 21 the court extended their pre-trial detention by another six months.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

Yekaterina Samutsevich

Maria Alekhina

The three Pussy Riot members at their trial in Tagansky District Court

The three detained members of Pussy Riot are recognized as political prisoners by the Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners (SPP). Amnesty International named them prisoners of conscience due to "the severity of the response of the Russian authorities".

Speaking at a liturgy in Moscow's Deposition of the Robe Church on March 21, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill I, condemned Pussy Riot's actions as "blasphemous", saying that the "Devil has laughed at all of us ... We have no future if we allow mocking in front of great shrines, and if some see such mocking as some sort of valour, as an expression of political protest, as an acceptable action or a harmless joke." Singer Alla Pugachyova appealed on the women's behalf, stating that they should be ordered to perform community service rather than be imprisoned. According to BBC correspondent Daniel Sandford, "Their treatment has caused deep disquiet among many Russians, who feel the women are – to coin a phrase from the 1967 trial of members of the rock band The Rolling Stones – butterflies being broken on a wheel."

By late June 2012, growing disquiet over the trio's detention without setting a trial date and concern over what was regarded as excessive and arbitrary treatment, led to the drawing up of an open letter. It was signed by leading oppositional figures as well as director Fyodor Bondarchuk, a supporter of Putin, and actors Chulpan Khamatova and Yevgeny Mironov, both of whom had appeared in videos for Putin's re-election campaign. Nikita Mikhalkov, head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union, stated in an interview that he would gladly sign an open letter "against" them.

In July 2012, sociologist Alek D. Epstein published a compilation of artistic works by various Russian artists entitled "Art on the barricades: Pussy Riot, the Bus Exhibit and the protest art-activism" in support of the trio.

The trial of the three women started in Moscow's Khamovniki, or Khamovnichesky, District Court on July 30. Charged with "premeditated hooliganism performed by organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility", they faced possible sentences of up to seven years imprisonment. In early July, a poll conducted in Moscow found that half of the respondents oppose the trial while 36 percent support it; the rest being undecided. The defendants pleaded not guilty, insisting that they had not meant their protest to be offensive. On July 31, The Financial Times published an editorial saying the women had become "an international cause célèbre" due to the harsh treatment they have received. On August 15, a group of protestors gathered in support of Pussy Riot outside the Christ the Saviour Cathedral and held up placards to make the phrase Blessed are the merciful. They were quickly set upon by cathedral guards.

Pussy Riot's lawyers said that the circumstances of the case have revived the Soviet-era tradition of the show trial.

Defendants

• Maria Alyokhina (rus. Мария Алёхина), a fourth year student at the Institute of Journalism and Creative Writing in Moscow, has a history as a humanitarian volunteer and environmental activist with Greenpeace Russia. She is 24 and has one young child. She played an active role in the trial: cross-examining witnesses and aggressively questioning the nature of the charges and proceeding.
• Yekaterina Samutsevich (rus. Екатерина Самуцевич), 30, is a computer programmer interested in LGBT issues. She is a graduate of the Rodchenko School of Photography and Multimedia in Moscow. Court sessions were attended by her grandfather Stanislav Samutsevich.
• Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (rus. Надежда Толоконникова), born (1989-11-07) November 7, 1989, is a philosophy student at Moscow State University with a history of political activism with the street-art group Voina. She is married to Pyotr Verzilov and has a 4 year old daughter. She has Canadian permanent resident status and her husband is a dual citizen of Canada and Russia. There is speculation in Canada over whether authorities there should get involved in the case.

Public opinion in Russia

A Levada Center poll showed that 44% of Russians believed that the trial was "fair and impartial" while 17% believed it was not; 36% believed that the decision would be based on the evidence and 18% believed that the decision would be influenced by the state. The director of the Levada Center, Lev Gudkov, commented on these results, stating that most Russians get their information from television, and therefore perceive the event in accordance with the state's "official version".

The trial was criticized for being rushed through, and the verdict considered as being decided by the authorities and Kremlin.

International support

Protests in Moscow in June

The accused have received support from musicians such as Kate Nash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Cornershop, Faith No More, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, Patti Smith, The Beastie Boys, Refused, Zola Jesus, Die Antwoord, Jarvis Cocker, Pete Townshend, The Joy Formidable, Peaches, Madonna, Genesis, Tegan and Sara, Johnny Marr, Courtney Love, Iiro Rantala, Propagandhi, Anti-Flag, Rise Against, Corinne Bailey Rae, Peter Hammill, Kathleen Hanna, Björk, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, British comedian Stephen Fry, Reykjavík Mayor, Jón Gnarr and Warren Kinsella.

A letter of support from 120 members of the German parliament, the Bundestag, was sent to the Russian Ambassador to Germany, Vladimir Grinin. The letter referred to proceedings against the women as being disproportionate and draconian. On August 9, 2012, 400 Pussy Riot supporters in Berlin marched wearing colored balaclavas in a show of support for the group.

Conviction and sentencing

The three were convicted on August 17, 2012 and were all sentenced to two years imprisonment. The judge stated that they had "crudely undermined social order" with their protest, showing a "complete lack of respect" for believers. Tolokonnikova later replied that "Our imprisonment serves as a clear and unambiguous sign that freedom is being taken away from the entire country." Supporters and critics of the band both demonstrated at their sentencing hearing. Opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov, who was protesting in support of the band, was detained by police, while former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, trying to attend the reading of the verdict, was arrested and beaten.

Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict, although they had little hope that it would be overturned. "Under no circumstances will the girls ask for a pardon [from Putin]," said Mark Feygin. "They will not beg and humiliate themselves before such a bastard." The Russian Orthodox Church stated that while the actions of Pussy Riot were offensive to "millions of people," the church called "on the state authorities to show mercy to the people convicted within the framework of the law, in the hope that they will refrain from repeating blasphemous actions."

International reaction

Amnesty International called the conviction "a bitter blow for freedom of expression". Hugh Williamson, of Human Rights Watch, stated that the "charges and verdict... distort both the facts and the law... These women should never have been charged with a hate crime and should be released immediately."

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's press secretary, Rick Ross, said Canada "believes strongly in the rule of law, administered independently and without political bias or motivation... the promotion of Canadian values, including freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, features prominently in our ongoing dialogue with the Russian authorities." The United States embassy in Moscow tweeted that the sentence "looks disproportionate to the actions," and the United States State Department has asked Russia to "review this case and ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld." Barack Obama expressed disappointment and the White House stated "we have serious concerns about the way that these young women have been treated by the Russian judicial system."

Lyudmila Alexeyeva stated that the decision was politically motivated and that the Russian court was "not in line with the law, common sense or mercy". A protest organizer, Alexei Navalny, described the verdict as being "written by Vladimir Putin" and called it Putin's "revenge". Author Boris Akunin attended the protests the day of the conviction and stated that "Putin has doomed himself to another year and a half of international shame and humiliation." Alexei Kudrin stated that the trial caused "huge damage" to Russia's image and its "attractiveness to investors." Irina Yarovaya, a member of the General Council of Putin's United Russia party, defended the conviction stating that "they deserved it."

Protests

Protests were held around the world after the sentence was announced. Amnesty International declared August 17 "Pussy Riot Global Day" by activists. People gathered in New York City where Chloe Sevigny read writings and court statements by the convicted members of the band. In Kiev, Inna Shevchenko, a topless feminist activist from the group FEMEN, used a chainsaw to destroy a wooden sculpture of Christ on a cross, which was erected on a hill overlooking the city center. Some sources claimed that it was the cross erected to commemorate victims of Stalinist repression and the famine of the 1930s, however that cross is made of stone not wood, and the wooden cross which was destroyed is likely the cross dedicated to the events of the Orange Revolution of 2004–2005. In Bulgaria people put masks, similar to those worn by Pussy Riot, on a Soviet sculpture. Approximately 100 people protested outside of Russian consulate in Toronto.

In Serbia, right wing activist group Nasi released a video game online focused on members of Pussy Riot and supporting the imprisonment of the women.

Public perception in Russia

A sociological study by Levada Center has shown that a majority of Russians do not support Pussy Riot and share the authorities' attitude to the matter. The conservatism of the public has been criticized by many Russian experts.

Voina

The connection between Pussy Riot and the group Voina has been highlighted by some critics of Pussy Riot and has been called an "aggravating moral circumstance" in the eyes of the conservative public (which constitutes about 60% of Russians).

Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich participated in some Voina performances. Tolokonnikova was part of a performance in which a number of couples were filmed having sex in the Biology Museum in Moscow in 2008 which has been called an "orgy" in the media. Samutsevich took part in actions which involved spilling live cockroaches in a court room and kissing policewomen in the Moscow metro and on the streets (which in some cases was taken as assault attempts).

External links

• Official website
• Pussy Riot on YouTube
• Video of church protest by Pussy Riot
• Free Pussy Riot website