What the Members of Pussy Riot Have to Say About Their Punk Prayers

August 17, 2012 from Journeyman Pictures

In an exclusive interview, three members of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot talk about staging "punk prayers", why they are angry with Putin's sexist regime and the empowering effect of anonymity. On February 21, the band entered Moscow's largest church to perform a song asking the Virgin Mary to "rid us of Putin". The members were subsequently arrested on charges of "hooliganism fueled by religious hatred" and received a sentence of two years in jail.

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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

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks southwest of the Kremlin. With an overall height of 105 metres, it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world. 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

Moscow

Moscow is the capital city and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Russia and in Europe. According to Forbes 2011, Moscow has the largest community of billionaires in the world. Moscow is the n... Explore this topic

Russian Orthodox Church

Die Russisch-Orthodoxe Kirche, wiss. Transliteration Russkaja Pravoslavnaja Cerkov' ist eine christliche Kirche. Als Russisch-Orthodoxe Kirche werden zumeist die autokephale orthodoxe Kirche von Moskau und Russland und die ihr nachgeordneten Kirchen einschließlich der Diözesen... 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

Protest

An act of defiance or objection by an individual or group of people. Protests can take many forms: peaceful or violent, direct or indirect, large or small. Protests in the news are often political in nature, as groups of citizens voice their disagreement or dissatisfaction. Pr... 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

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Pussy Riot

Vladimir Putin

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

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