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THREE MEMBERS of the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in prison following their conviction on hooliganism charges motivated by religious hatred.
The women’s trial has brought international criticism and sparked protests in Moscow, where some of their supporters – including opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov and former chess champion Garry Kasparov – were arrested. Demonstrations have been held in their support in Washington DC, Tel Aviv, Paris, London, Sydney and Dublin.
The conviction and sentencing have drawn outrage from their supporters on Twitter, as well as concerned comments from the EU, the US and Amnesty International.
“The US is concerned about both the verdict and the disproportionate sentences handed down by a Moscow court in the case against the members of the band Pussy Riot and the negative impact on freedom of expression in Russia,” US Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland said. “We urge Russian authorities to review this case and ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld.”
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton also described the sentence as “disproportionate” and criticised the affair for sentencing three young women for peacefully expressing their views:
Together with the reports of the band members’ mistreatment during their pre-trial detention and the reported irregularities of the trial, it puts a serious question mark over Russia’s respect for international obligations of fair, transparent, and independent legal process. It also runs counter to Russia’s international obligations as regards respect for freedom of expression.This case adds to the recent upsurge in politically motivated intimidation and prosecution of opposition activists in the Russian Federation, a trend that is of growing concern to the European Union. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is an indispensable part of the EU-Russia relationship.
British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that his government is “committed to a relationship with Russia in which we can discuss differences frankly and constructively”, adding: “We have repeatedly called on the Russian authorities to protect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, and apply the rule of law in a non-discriminatory and proportionate way. Today’s verdict calls into question Russia’s commitment to protect these fundamental rights and freedoms.”
Former world chess champion and outspoken Putin critic Garry Kasparov was among the band’s supporters arrested outside the Moscow court yesterday:
Meanwhile, the bandmates of Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova released a new single recorded in their absence shortly after the verdict was announced. The single, Putin Lights Up the Fires, was released exclusively through the Guardian:
YouTube credit: ScarceMedia
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Stalin would be very proud of Putin
Putin is very proud of Stalin.
That’s all a bit rich given that protesting supporters of Pussy Riot cut down a cross erected to the memory of Stalin’s victims…
Have you seen the video of what they done? They went to the extreme and got a sentence that was extreme as well.
Considering the huge question mark over how legitimate the last elections were, its no surprise the outcome of this trial. Its scary the direction the direction the Russian government are steering its country. Feels like the bad old days of the cold war creeping back. Soviet spring anyone?
We must remember that Putin was democraticly elected receiving 95% of the vote. *cough*
I though he got 103%.
Double standards by the US. Nothing from them on the Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab who was just sentenced to three years in prison for inciting anti-government protests in speeches and tweets. What about the complete injustice of that. Did Amnesty International highlights the case of Nabeel Rajab? Not that I’m aware of and certainly not as much as Pussy Riot. Probably due to fact Amnesty International is now run by one of Hillary Clintons ex-advisers. Yeah the sentence is harsh but similar statutes exist in the US and it is hypocritical of them. Hyprocritical of the UK aswell. They illegally took over the Chagos Islands and deported everyone of them. The reason I am mentioning the Chagos is be a useful they are still fighting to get their homeland back and the UK just ignores them.
Twitter has become the courtroom and we the judge and jury, when did the UK and US start caring about human rights?
The US would be better off closing Guantanamo Bay where some inmates have been incarcerated since 2002 with no prospect of being tried or released.
To be fair, Putin probably did the world a huge favour, their music is awful…
If Putin was the UK prime minister , Tulisa, Walsh and all those other xFactor imbeciles would almost certainly be doing 40/50 year jail terms for their crimes against music.
There was nothing ‘fair’ about that trial.
The banks ruin our lives, the corrupt politicians fleece us, generations are ruined as a result and the irish dont protest. But send a girl band to prison…oh yea, we’ll hit the streets!!!
Have you actively protested over anything recently?Are you out on the streets protesting against government cuts,the household charge or student fees?Or,like so many Irish people,do you sit at home and moan behind a computer?
The US are hypocrites, with its draconian sentencing system they would probably have gotten 20 years, look at Barry Manning spending his third year in prison, on suspicion is telling the facts of Americas war in Afghanistan
Exactly. In fact, under the NDAA ( National Defence Authorisation Act) any US citizen can be incarcerated WITHOUT a trial indefinitely. The west is concerned here about Justice? Wake up people.
It seems there is very litle sympathy in Russia. We have to be careful judging from this distance.
Freedom of expression is one thing. Invading the sanctuary of Russia’s most sacred cathedral is another. What about the rights of the church and the rights of those innocent Russians who were worshipping there at the time? nnThey could have held their protest outside. But no, they wanted to attack the church from inside its own private property. nnI agree that the sentence is somewhat harsh, as does the Orthodox Church which has asked for leniency. But I definitely think they deserved some lesser punishment.
they got arrested for breaking into a church and shouting abusive lyrics. it dosnt matter whom they were directed at its still breaking and entering which is against the law ! is it now ok to break into a place of whorship . for the US or UK to question infringement of rights is laughable at best.
This is the real Russia!!!!!!!!!!
Breach of the peace and incitement to religious hatred are crimes, the sentence of 2 years minus time served is a little harsh but at the end of the day they committed a crime.
Two years is a bit over the top. But they didn’t ‘sing a protest song.’ it wasn’t a song, they can’t sing and the words were not a protest, they were designed to insult and offend. ‘Shit, shit, Jesus, shit.’ Substitute Mohammed or gay or black for Jesus and the politically correct would be up in arms
Well said.
Paddy it’s too easy to quote one line from a song out of context to further your agenda, I only glanced over it and could see the frustration in the lyrics. Also take into account it’s a translation.
Frustration does not give anyone the right to insult others. And what’s wrong with quoting one line? It IS a line from the ‘song’ and it IS designed to insult and offend. As far as I know Jesus didn’t back Putin and blaming Him is a little like blaming all Muslims for the violent excesses of some.
Of course, there are plenty of examples of this in the west, some catalogued here: http://bit.ly/NvcOXH, but, in those cases, the public weren’t teased to over-react in a fit of hysteria designed to cloud their judgement. What we have here is a stunt financed by the US State Department (see above link again) in order to discredit and undermine Russia in a geopolitical chess-game over Syria, where the west has failed in it’s strategy of bringing about Regime change by backing Al-Qaeda terrorists. Russia has stood firm in it’s resistance to this insanity, always running the risk of jeopardising it’s own image when it reacts to western plots like the Pussy-Riot. I advise people not to be so easily duped to take the bait, and think instead of reacting.
There were 4 in the video. What happened the other one? Did she do a Peter DaraghQuinn on it?
Smacks a bit of the old days of Stalins russia
Free the pussy!
This is all a bit rich coming from the UK and US given their conserted effors to “Get” Julian Assange
It seems that we now have the Putinist purges. The gulags will be pretty full soon
Smacks a bit of the old days of Stalin’sRussia!
The ignorance of some of the rest of the comments on here is appaling.Its not about the ‘girl band’,its about freedom of speech and equailty,two things seriously under threat in Russia (the judge said they were also guilty of ‘promoting homosexuality’).The women in Pussy Riot preformed a 2 minute song,and for that got 2 years each.Anyone with an ounce of sense can see the injustice of this.
The sentence is excessive. But it’s not about ‘freedom of speech’ – you don’t have freedom of speech on someone else’s property. Why didn’t they stage their protest outside? or somewhere else?
Wait for it, Putin will come out later and instigate a pardon of some sort to make himself the hero. This is all stage fixed , just like the elections and everything else in his elected * cough * government. These girls may want publicity but they have been brave against him.
He is about amassing unlimited wealth for himself and his cronies, he is a insidious megalomanic. He is destined to be ousted but what then for Russia? Kind of ironic , that Kasporov is such a fierce opponent of him, as he is the ultimate political chess player of his time and it will take some smart moves to get rid of him.
Check this out oh his secret billions :
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/04/2012418859194318.html
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