Three women of the feminist punk collective Pussy Riot are on trial in Russia for hooliganism, which carries a charge up to seven years in prison, following their arrest in March after a performance of what they’ve called a ‘punk prayer’ critical of Vladmir Putin in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of the most famous Orthodox cathedrals in Moscow. The women—Nadezhda Tolokonnikova , Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich—deny any criminal intent.
The Guardian has been following the situation closely from the beginning. Here are some pictures. They have a rundown of the initial arrest and also reports of the on-going trial, including this first person perspective from a husband of one of the members. There have also been protests outside the courtroom and here’s some video coverage of that. Medics were called in to treat one of the three women when she fell ill in the courtroom, allegedly of sleep deprivation and lack of access to food. The trial has been called a witch hunt and a carnival.
Celebrities including Peter Gabriel, Anthony Kedis, Ad Rock, Corin Tucker, Sting and many others have come out in support of the women. There are rumors flying as to whether Madonna will come out in support for the collective when she performs in Moscow this week. In Russia there’s a petition signed by over 100,000 supporters and Amnesty International is circulating one as well.
Pussy Collective hasn’t been around all that long. They were founded in the fall of 2011 after Putin announced he’d seek the presidency again. They’re an anonymous collective who perform protest songs in masks via guerilla performances. Vice and Mother Jones each have detailed accounts of exactly what this feminist collective is all about.
Putin has recently come out with remarks for the court to not be “too harsh” to the women.
Finally, a manifesto from Nadia Tolokonikovoy, a member of the collective. The trial is on-going. Also worth reading for additional context is this piece by Katrina vanden Heuvel at The Nation blog.
