Despite the jailing of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot and government crackdowns on dissidents, anti-Putin protesters haven’t abandoned their fight for greater civil liberties in Russia. SBS Dateline from Australia reports from Moscow on the opposition movement.
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Nashi (meaning “Ours”) is a popular political youth group in Russia with direct ties to the Kremlin. Members of Nashi recently published an erotic calendar as a salute to Vladimir Putin, professing their love and devotion for him. This short documentary by Danish filmmaker Lise Berk Pedersen, follows 16-year-old Masha Drokova, a Nashi commissar, who faces a crisis of conscience that tests her beliefs. The catalyst: Her friend Oleg Kashin, a popular anti-Putin reporter, is brutally beaten by “unknown perpetrators” in an assault captured on a security camera. H/T ITVS International
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A Russian judge today found three members of the punk band Pussy Riot guilty on charges of hooliganism for their February concert at a Moscow cathedral protesting the rule of President Vladimir Putin. In the concert, an act of guerrilla theater, the trio called upon the Virgin Mary to drive Putin away from Russia.
The band members each received sentences of two years imprisonment, commencing from the time of their arrest in March. The specific charges, “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” carried stiff sentences of up to seven years, but prosecutors were recommending that the band members be jailed for three years, and Putin himself had advocated leniency in their case. Judge Marina Syrova read from the lengthy verdict for about three hours before announcing the sentencing around 6 pm Friday, Moscow time.
“We accept this as our ethical misdemeanor, but an ethical misdemeanor should not be a cause of criminal punishment,” band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said. Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, arrests occurred as supporters and opponents of the band gathered. Those detained included chess master Garry Kasparov, a vehement Putin critic. Pussy Riot vigils also were staged in New York, London, Paris and elsewhere.
Here’s a World Edition report on the trial from Taiwan’s TomoNewsFunnies.
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And here’s an interview with the three other members of the band — Sparrow, Squirrel and Balaclava — who remain at large and have continued to elude Russian authorities.
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Meanwhile, a Femen protester in Kiev uses a chainsaw to cut down a cross in support of Pussy Riot. The cross was near Independence Square in this Ukraine city.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin often burnishes his tough-guy cred, but it appears he’s harboring a soft spot for the three punk rockers from Pussy Riot jailed for staging an anti-Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral. In an interview with RT, the Russian global TV network, Putin says he doesn’t condone the women’s act of defiance but he also advocates that they “not be judged too harshly.”
Interesting range of YouTube reactions to Putin’s comments, presumably from Russians although one can’t discount the possibility that some of these responses are from ringers. The selections:
* Vladimir Putin is a boss!
* Whatever it takes to keep Russia from falling down the sewer pipe and essentially commiting societal suicide is nearly alright with me. America and the West in general have confused freedom with licentiousness and complete irresponsibility and many people here, old and young alike are getting fed up with it.
* I like how the hard ass Putin is saying “hey take it easy on them”
* OMG. I am not religious, but I would have executed these sub humans.
* What’s this Pusi Riot female crunk group?? LOL!! What is the big deal? Is this what BIG OIL Russian Gov’t is all about going after naked painted pixies? Freakin’ inept morons, no wonder NEOCONS have conquered Geo-political strategy.
* Gee, such an excellent chance for Putin to show what a mild-mannered fella he really is, despite all the rumours about critical journalists being prone to end up in fatal incidents .. A PR counter-campaign couldn’t have been promoted and spinned in a much more efficient fashion.. Nice footwork..
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It’s often said the Russians are serious people. Need proof? Here, Russian artist Petr Pavlensky has sewn his mouth shut in support of Pussy Riot, the female punk rock band, three of whose members remain under arrest for hooliganism after they staged an anti-Putin protest at a Moscow cathedral. H/T ITN News
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