Friday, August 10, 2012

Wondering why Russia wants to rebuild the Iron Curtain--re the Pussy Riot controversy.

http://gu.com/p/39j92

At this time, I'm taking a break from saying anything less-than-complimentary about Madonna's current tour (and below-average current album MDNA) to offer praise for Ms. Ciccone daring to offend the Powers That Are in Russia regarding what looks like a 21st-Century equivalent of England giving a make-an-example-of-them jail sentence to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for marijuana use.

In 2012, the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot risks being sentenced to three years in a labor camp for an act of civil disobedience in a church.

It's rather sad and frightening to watch a leader like Putin to indulge in the kind of totalitarianism that will break three butterflies on a wheel.

UPDATE 8/17/12:
This summary is taken from the GUARDIAN--
Three members of Punk feminist protest band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in a Moscow court after their performance in February inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral .
• Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 were sentenced to two years in prison - the minimum sentence for such an offence open to the courts.
In sentencing the judge argued that bands' feminist beliefs were part of encouraging religious hatred.
• There were protests outside the courts and world chess Grand Master, turned politician Gary Kasparov was arrested along with opposition politician, Sergei Udaltsov.
Amnesty and Human Rights watch have both condemned the verdict whilst the Russian Orthodox church has called on the government to show "mercy".
• After the sentencing, Pussy Riot released a new single, Putin Lights up the Fires.

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