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Rainbow NewsPussy Riot Case: Putin's Russia - Regressive and Oppressive Cleptocracy, says British MP
18 Aug. 2012
Yesterday the whole world was following the announcement of the court's decision on Pussy Riot case. Each participant of the femme punk group was accused by the Russian court of rampage on the grounds of religious hatred and was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. Gay.Ru poll showed that the majority of respondents had been sure that the judgment would be accusative and put them into jail.
Moscow branch of Human Right Watch stated that the Russian public response on Pussy Riot case had never before been so strong, leaving behind even resonant Magnitsky and Khodorkovsky cases.
Judge Syrova, Khamovniki district Judge, stated the actions of Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova "had grossly undermined the public order", adding that the crime had a conspiracy nature based on the grounds of hatred towards the religion. The high judge announced that the fact of uploading of the punk action on the altar of the Russian Cathedral of The Christ The Saviour to the Internet (that was the legal basis for court hearing) was also the prove of "the groups will to get publicity due to its rampage tricks". She also stressed that "jerking" during punk-prayer proved to be another fact of hatred of the sentenced towards the Christians".
Every good sensed person in Russia and abroad including LGBT community understand that the main motive of that resonant action on the altar was to challenge not the Christian faith but the rule of Vladimir Putin and himself. For example, Chris Bryant, the UK Parliament deputy and the member of Labour Party, in his Twitter following the events around the court's decision said that the fate of Pussy Riot was a proof that "Putin's Russia was a regressive and oppressive cleptocracy".
Pinknews.co.uk informs that the Pussy Riot has got broad support world-wide, including of Madonna, Steven Fry, Sting, Bjork and Paul McCartney for their struggle for freedom of speech, political transparency, women's and LGBT rights. The punk-girls sang: "The ghost of freedom in the skies, Gay-pride sent to Siberia in the irons".
Ruth Pearce, the main editor of the Lesbilicious in her article writes: "The fact the Pussy Riots targeted the Russian Orthodox Church had its consequences. The action revealed the issue of convergence of the interests of the Church and the Russian authorities and its danger. The ties between the Church and the Kremlin could be seen in officially supported and promoted sexism and homophobia such as Don't Say Gay laws, backed by the Church, and silent support by the officials of religious clericals' violence towards LGBT people".
Long before the announcement of the judgment Timothy Heritage, a journalist working for the Reuters, in his comments said: "Whatever the verdict of the Moscow's court would be on Friday on femme punk-group Pussy Riot case which had challenged the Kremlin from the Cathedral's ambon, the nature of Vladimir Putin's response would be clear - today, as never before, in his first year of the presidency, he would never accept the dissent. The case caused international concerns and shattered every hope of the West and the opposition that former KGB-agent would give more freedom to politics and more independence to the courts".
"The courts' decision on Pussy Riot case is unbalanced and has disparity in sentencing", says US Embassy in Moscow in its Twitter blog. The State Department urged to review the sentence, informs Rosbalt. "The European Union is seriously concerned with the punishment of three women, two of them are young mothers, to 2 year sentence for perhaps discrepant but peaceful expression of their views", says the official press-statement of the EU (pdf document) and joins the urge of the US State Department to review or cancel the sentence. The Freedom House press-statement said the verdict on Pussy Riot case was another blow to democracy in Russia. Foreign ministries of Sweden and Germany also criticized the verdict.
Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign minister and open gay, said: "Without freedom of Arts, including the one that gives witticism - there's no healthy and democratic development. Thus, we regret the verdict which will not strengthen Russia's authority in the world". The German "Focus" publication believes that the trial would overshadow the Russian-German relations. "The Pussy Riot case is significant for Putin's Russia. The [German] Federal Government is also dissatisfied with the new policy of the Kremlin and characterizes its bilateral relations as "a desirable partnership". Earlier Berlin considered ties with Moscow as "a strategic partnership" but today because of the Russia's stance on Syria issue and Kremlin's toughening with its opposition these ties are being seriously irritated.
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