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Pussy Riot members face up to seven years in prison

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Holly Peacock
WVoN co-editor

Earlier this year Russian feminist punk-collective, Pussy Riot, performed a song in a Moscow cathedral in protest against president Vladimir Putin and the Church’s part in supporting his regime.

The performance, labelled a ‘pussy prayer’, led to the arrest and incarceration of three members of Pussy Riot on charges of hoolaganism. Their trial begins today.

On 21st February Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, along with two other members of the band, stormed Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral and set up stage on the altar to perform ‘Holy Shit’.

The video (now available to view on YouTube) shows the women, dressed in their typical uniform of brightly coloured dresses and matching balaclavas, struggling through the performance as Cathedral security frantically attempt to stop and detain them.

The members of Pussy Riot have spoke out against Putin stating “Putin is scared of us” and is “afraid of people”.

This relatively small group has gained support from the likes of Sting and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers who have famously spoken out against the Russian authorities. Sting said:

“It’s appalling that the musicians from Pussy Riot could face prison sentences of up to seven years in jail. Dissent is a legitimate and essential right in any democracy and modern politicians must accept this fact with tolerance.

“A sense of proportion – and a sense of humour – is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. Surely the Russian authorities will completely drop these spurious charges and allow the women, these artists, to get back to their lives and to their children.”

In the lead up to their trial the three members have been imprisoned and refused bail. Controversy and dispute now ripple across Russia and the rest of the world as the trial begins.

Amnesty International has created a website collating coverage of Pussy Riot’s plight and is asking supporters to sign a petition in request of their release.

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