Pussy Riot Punk Band Sentenced - Update

(Moscow, Russia)

A Moscow judge has sentenced each of three members of the provocative punk band Pussy Riot to two years in prison on hooliganism charges following a trial that has drawn international outrage.

Friday's sentence comes amid a wave of protests around the world in support of the feminist rockers.

The judge said in the verdict that the three band members "committed hooliganism driven by religious hatred" and offended religious believers.

The three were arrested in March after a guerrilla performance in Moscow's main cathedral calling for the Virgin Mary to protect Russia against Vladimir Putin, who was elected to a new term as Russia's president two weeks later.

The case prompted wide interest with demonstrations and protests supporting Pussy Riot across Europe.

Celebrities including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Bjork have called for the band members to be freed.

Germany's top human rights official, Markus Loening, joined them Friday, saying the women's detention had already been "fully disproportionate."

It appears President Putin wants to send a message of intolerance toward those who may be too free with their acts of political expression.

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Pussy Riot Punk Band
[Previous 7/25/12 post]



(Moscow, Russia)

Six months or so ago, few people in Russia -- and even fewer abroad -- had even heard of Pussy Riot. Now they're not only an international cause celebre, but well on their way to becoming a global brand.

And all it took was a little Kremlin-sponsored repression.

Sting is the latest artist to publicly express support for three members of the band -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich -- who are languishing in pretrial detention and face stiff prison terms for their infamous unauthorized performance in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.[…]

The group's performance in the cathedral on February 21 -- shortly before Vladimir Putin's reelection as president -- was an attempt to draw attention to the close ties between the Kremlin leader and the Russian Orthodox Church and to protest what they consider Russian Patriarch Kirill's inappropriate support for Putin in the election.

Reportedly, the group didn't actually perform a concert in the church. They mimed the performance and matched it later with music as shown on the following video. It's essentially an anti-Putin rant.




After the video was viewed by church officials, the members of Pussy Riot were charged with hooliganism, debasing the feelings and beliefs, diminishing the spiritual foundations of the state, and blasphemy.