Russian 'Pussy Riot' Punks Remain in Prison

July 20, 2012 from LinkTV News

Three members of female punk group Pussy Riot, who derided Russian President Vladimir Putin in a protest in Moscow's main Christ the Saviour Cathedral had their spell in jail extended by six months on Friday, July 20. The women -- Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich -- who have been held in pre-trial custody for almost five months, face up to seven years in jail on charges of hooliganism for storming the altar in multi-colored masks to sing a "punk prayer" to the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out!" Amnesty International has urged Russia to free the trio, criticizing the severity of the response by authorities. But some Orthodox believers have called for tough punishment for an act they regard as blasphemous. Footage courtesy of Reuters.

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Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk-rock collective that stages politically provocative impromptu performances in Moscow, on subjects such as the status of women in Russia, and most recently against the election campaign of Prime Minister Putin for president of Russia. Explore this topic

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician who has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012. Putin previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. Putin was also previously the Chai... Explore this topic

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Punk b... Explore this topic

Russia

Russia or, also officially known as the Russian Federation, is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania an... Explore this topic

2011-2012 Russian protests

The 2011–13 Russian protests first began as a response to the 2011 Russian legislative election process, which many Russian and foreign journalists, political activists and members of the public considered to be flawed, and the protests continued despite the fact that the Cent... Explore this topic

Protest song

A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs. It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social movements that have an associated body of songs are the abolition movement, w... Explore this topic

Blasphemy

Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a religious deity or the irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws that sanction those who are offended by blasphe... Explore this topic

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights with over 3 million members and supporters around the world. The objective of the organisation is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to d... Explore this topic

Prison

A prison, also known as gaol or jail, is a place in which people are physically confined and usually deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime. Other terms used are ... Explore this topic

Radical feminism

Radical feminism is an older perspective within feminism, now primarily associated with second-wave feminism of the 1980's that focuses on the theory of patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society into a complex of relationships based on the assertion that male supr... Explore this topic

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Pussy Riot

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