Today at 3 p.m., political punk group Pussy Riot will hear their verdict in the case against them in Russian. The three members — Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alekhina– performed a “punk prayer” in an Orthodox church protesting Vladimir Putin. Let’s just say that Russian leaders still don’t like it when you talk smack about them. (Jesus, doesn’t anyone remember White Nights?) The three women will possibly face up to seven years in jail for protesting the Russian’s government’s role in church politics.
Church and politics seem a little more welded in our country than they’re supposed to be according to the, you know, United States Constitution. And for those of you who think that this kind of blending could never happen in our country, it’s scarily similar to what Pussy Riot was protesting in Russia. You know, we’ve got a little bit of this, and this.
Demonstrations have already been organized across the country in preparation for a not-so-great verdict. Check online for meet ups. But let’s hope for the best for these ladies.
Miriam Novogrodsky
August 20, 2012
This is one of those stories that I would have heard in the background of my life — noise about another thing that is totally wrong. H, thank you for drawing the political connections and raising the important questions about what we should do when an injustice occurs — these women will be going back to prison and that, isn’t shocking enough…