07.25.12 Amnesty International And Sting Call For Release Of Pussy Riot Bandmembers In Moscow...


The world-renowned musician Sting joins Amnesty International in condemning the Russian authorities' treatment of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk rock protest band.

Last week, a court in Moscow ruled that three members of the female punk group Pussy Riot must remain in pre-trial custody for six more months after members of the group sang a protest song in Moscow's main Orthodox church in February.

Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who are accused of "hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred," face possible prison sentences of up to seven years. Preliminary hearings in the case have begun and the three have been ordered to remain in pre-trial custody until January 2013.

Sting, who is currently on tour and set to perform in Moscow later today (Wednesday 25 July) and in St. Petersburg on Friday (July 27), commented:

"It's appalling that the musicians from Pussy Riot could face prison sentences of up to seven years in jail. Dissent is a legitimate and essential right in any democracy and modern politicians must accept this fact with tolerance. A sense of proportion - and a sense of humor - is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. Surely the Russian authorities will completely drop these spurious charges and allow the women, these artists, to get back to their lives and to their children."

Amnesty International considers the three women to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for their peaceful expression of their beliefs, and is calling on the Russian authorities to immediately release all three women.

Amnesty International UK's Director Kate Allen said:

"We're calling on the Russian authorities to drop the charges of hooliganism and immediately and unconditionally release Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.

"We consider them prisoners of conscience.

"If found guilty, they could face up to seven years' imprisonment - a totally unjustifiable response to a peaceful protest performance.

"Amnesty will continue to campaign for their release for as long as it takes. There's growing support for them and our text campaign - has been massively popular, with over 12,000 people taking part so far."

Pussy Riot performed the protest song "Virgin Mary, redeem us of Putin" in Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow on 21 February, with several group members covering their faces in balaclavas. The song called on Virgin Mary to become a feminist and banish Vladimir Putin. It also criticized the dedication and support shown to Putin by some representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was one of a number of performances intended as a protest against Mr. Putin in the run-up to Russia's March presidential elections.

The Russian authorities subsequently arrested Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova on 4 March, and Ekaterina Samutsevich on 15 March, claiming they were the masked singers. One of the women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, has admitted to being a member of the larger Pussy Riot group and taking part in the protest, while the other two deny any involvement in the cathedral protest.

Take action - worldwide: www.amnesty.org/pussyriot

Take action - UK: www2.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/sms-action-network/pussy-riot
(32) Reviews and Comments
suslikovich - 08.27.12
It was a sad day in my life
It was a sad day in my life where I learned Mr. Sting supported the PR (sorry, I can't call it a band but rather a gang). I have been a fan of Mr. Sting since the mid 80' and I admire his talent. I can only blame the lack of information to the fact that Mr. Sting supported these Christ and church haters. I just want to add some comment to the article since I saw comments that explained who those people are. 1. "...musicians from Pussy Riot... " this ladeis are not musicians, they have no talent, no voices. 2. "...these artists, to get back to their lives and to their children." again, they are not artists. Also, what were they thinking when going to the main cathedral? Did they care about their children? Who they left the children with? 3. "Amnesty International considers the three women to be prisoners of conscience" I think you can be a prisoner of conscience if you have conscience. Just one note on the act itself that they called a "prayer". When you go to the Russian church there are rules of behaviour. You can't jump with your feet above your head on the steps of the altar. You can't even stand with you back to the altar. These ladies "prayed" standing and jumping with their back to the altar icons. Who do you think they prayed to? Just more recent news. The PR lawers are busy registering the PR trademark. There is a rumor that someone started making a porn movie with the same name where the main line will be frozen chicken. The Ukrainian edition of Playboy magazine wants to have Tolokno on their frong page wearing just balaclava I guess. You can hate Putin but you need to choose the civilized way to protest.
LindaSh - 08.16.12
Shame on you Mr Sting!!
You are condemning Russian people and Russian authorities well in that case I condemn you, Mr. Sting for supporting huligans and anarchists who have sex in the museums in front of children and now spit in the faces of All Orthodox Christians by disrespecting the church, a place where people come to pray, not monkey around. They could have proclaimed their dislike for Putin some place else, but not at the churches alter, where millions of Christians come to pray. You call them artists, but here is a news to you Mr. Sting, nobody ever heard of these artists and what did they do to be considered artists. I consider you an artist, but they are just plain huligans. You call them women and mothers, well in that case they should start acting like women and mothers. Setting good example for their children, so far they just set bad examples. They didn't face any consequences with the incident in the museum, well this time they need to be punished, so other huligans can learn the lesson that you cannot come to a sacred place and disrespect it in this manner. Pussy Riot is not a band, it's a disgrace to the Russian Nation and I am sorry for you Mr. Sting that you got involved with hulligans and support immoral behaviors!!!!
NorthernWind - 08.04.12
To stop idiots
To expose idiots as siberian, I put here the link with the original video https://twitter.com/DannyDeVito/status/231118477891608576 This is the Danny DeVito Twitter post. I know Putin's toadies (siberian & C)here think that only they know about the case and that Sting, Danny DeVito, Red HCP, Peter Gabriel and other celebrity people are ingenious and don't really know anything :) About reality: Pussy Riot offended only Putin and Other Church BOSSES who forgot the Jesus.No bad words which siberian put in his post in their song!
NorthernWind - 08.03.12
sgt
Sgt, Stop teach Mr. Sting! He is a priori more intelligent than you are. He posses better information and tools. He has better experience and knowledge in cases like this - 31 years exactly evolved in human rights fighting. You think only you know everything? Such thoughts have normally only idiots.
sgt - 08.01.12
NotherWind, liar here you
Pussy Riot is any not musical group, and broken away from the same group of hooligans under the name "War" the same group of hooligans. And they quarreled for the simple reason - the leader of Pussy Riot Tolokonnikove began to accuse that it informs on "War" in police. To this Tolokonnikov participated or indirectly supported such actions as "Death the cop from a knife" (on January 20), "All cops bastards", "Humiliation of the cop in his house" etc. It is glad for you that you don't try to disprove at all that they watered police mochy, and overturned police cars, drew the huge member on the bridge and struck in a museum. The human rights activist will really understand where also who breaks the rights especially if will want to make it itself since criminals don't hide the crimes, and openly spread them in social networks. In total strongly pronounced for example in Plutsera-Sarno's blog (plucer.livejournal.com). For this purpose even it is enough not to know Russian. What it for human rights activists who protect people leaving with posters "Kill the cop" or running out on a meeting with a huge inscription on a naked back of "Kill Kirill" attacking the elderly person? Moreover now court where passes business defendants openly admit that not only broke an order, but also made it for political reasons that already completely forms crime structure on standards of the criminal legislation of Russia. Thus they not how many don't hesitate and don't recognize the fault despite unambiguity of the law.
siberian - 07.31.12
A Closer Look
1.For quite a while the P.R. ladies were advertising their acts, such as a public 3+3 fornication live in a Moscow museum or going to a supermarket, putting down panties and inserting a frozen chicken right into their, let’s say, the name of the group. 2.After desecrating the main Russian Church Temple of Christ the Savior, the women went home FREE. Police started looking for them only in March after their appalling act was advertized widely and wildly by all the ‘democratic’ mass media plus Internet inside Russia and elsewhere. 3.It's great that Mr Anthony Kiedis has sent the little punk girls a letter of sympathy notifying that his rock band changed its name to 'Red Hot Cjili Pussies'. Yea, I agree with Mr.Sumner (aka Sting) and other newsmakers who defend the P.R. ladies but I would like to see Sting and the three dames repeating this ‘punk concert’ in London. It us so easy for him to bring audio player to St. Paul Cathedral and turn on a prerecorded song with lyrics including ‘f—k’, ‘s—k’ and other four letter words of genuine and humorous protest. It is easy to imagine Mr.Sting dancing in balaclava at the Holy of Holies and opening his freedon-loving mouth to imitate singing ‘God kill our wretched Queen’ and ‘Bishop of Canterbury must go to hell!’. Well, this is PRECISELY what the Pussy Riot did and schizophrenically boasted of. 4.As I am writing this, The Echo of Moscow (one of the nosiest supporters of the shameful Pussy pandemonium) is hysterically voicing its solidarity with the nasty desecrating ladies whom they stubbornly call ‘little girls’, although one of the female punks will turn 30 shortly and two others had left their two little kids at home before going to the House of Prayer they turned into a place of their public defecation. In their fit of paranoia, the Echo of Moscow compared Putin regime to the cruelties of Papua New Guinea where ‘cannibals have come to the election poll center recently to kill and devour those voters who, the cannibals suspected, practised witchcraft’. Racists of the world, come out to support the Pussy Riot!
NorthernWind - 07.29.12
Understanding
You are not capable to understand that here you must wait for approval of your comment. You do it every time still - you post every time your comment 2 times. If you are incapable to understand so simple thing how you can pretend to understand what is happening in Russia? Stop spamming here and stop to teach Mr. Sting. He is fighting for human rights from 1981 - 31 years for now. Do you still pretend to be more intelligent than he is? this is ridiculous :) Take a rest
irpris - 07.26.12
Stop abusing!
That is what I am saying-you can not fight for democracy until you learn not to abuse your opponents saying "stupid, stupid, stupid dreds of society" with "no anger", of course!! Saying this mantra you are not becoming smarter yourself or more self-confident. I didnt go private in my comments, you, instead, are full of snobbism and hate for everyone who doesnt' share your opinion. Let me have my human right not to admire Pussy Riots. Thank you. You have not yet answered about their next steps - a mosque, Wailing Wall etc. No answers? Ok, no arguments-no talk. Go on with peace to hate everyone!
someonewhocare - 07.26.12
The last one
Oh, irpris, your comments, I just can't, I've lost all ability to can. And no, woman, don't shut up, but think a little,just a little bit. There is no harm in thinking:) Have you ever heard about second hand embarrassment, well, you make me feel like that. I'm done here.
NorthernWind - 07.26.12
Russia
irpris, we are not ashamed of our country, we are ashamed of our President and his toadies who love him so much to defend everywhere they arrive. Also here! These lying evil creatures are the SHAME OF RUSSIA. They want so much blood. About cloths. You are not Russian? Don't you know about white ribbons? Don't you know that people went to prison for them? really? You are badly informed, better don't leave here your long messages.You personally are not interesting to anybody. Stop your lies and abstruse replicas.
irpris - 07.26.12
Violent fight for fake democracy
To sum up: on the site of my favourite and one of most talented modern musicians i have learnt maybe too much about a fake democracy movement. For last few hours just for sharing my own opinion with no intention to offend anyone here I've been accused by these "democracy defenders"for being insincere, uneducated, stupid, but corrupted person (not even a person-but i will not get deeper in that) who "sells" her fake fears for own children. The next step from these violent children of democracy will be "Shut your mouth, woman!", won't it be? Haha, charming! On the other hand, I got acquainted with my anonymous opponents and learnt they are ashamed of their own country and of being themselves (what else can we talk about in this case?). They sell some scary stories about going into prison for a wrong colour of the clothes (heh?), shout that they are not allowed to speak (come on!!! You declare anywhere whatever comes to your mind!) . But -wow!-they have sex! Glad for you, guys, but i dont really understand why EVERYONE must know about that:). Sorry, coming back to the issue- I DO want the girls to be released. But i would also want to know about their next stages for porno and abusing activities- a mosque, the Wailing wall, a Holocaust memorial? Can anyone guarantee their protection in these cases? As for reading books - thanx for advice from my opponents- i have already read a few :) Some of them were on Russian history- anti-church campaigns, destruction of temples, violent bolshevists movement for bloody revolution in sake of "national interests", Red Terror etc. Maybe you have heard about it? It' s all just a little bit of history repeating...
someonewhocare - 07.26.12
Yep, it's me, back again!
Kivi and NorthenWind, It's really great that persons like you are exist, I got really upset by reading this hateful comments here, I don't mind them in the russian part of the internet, but I always could close russian sites and go to more loving place. They represent people of our country like some wild yetis from the woods who are craving for Spanish inquisition (Spanish people, no offence here) Here is only few of whole bunch of trolls, I think they just have not enough will power to learn some foreign language.:) Bless them. And it's great that you are talking without anger, I love you guys and wish you all the nice things. Oh, and I can't be against Pussy Riot or Ukranian Femen, they are feminists, they are defending my rights:) They show how sick our society is. And their actions can be provocative, but it's because goverment doesn't hear us, they don't want to hear us, not even when we are screaming. And again, thank you, Sting, you are doing it right!:)
kivi - 07.26.12
Кремлевские холуи, не надо прикрываться
Все подлецы при власти всегда прикрывали именем народа свои гаденькие делишки. Лично я, как представитель того самого народа, категорически против расправы над девочками. И нас таких большинство. Не надо представлять здесь русский народ пещерным, злобным, агрессивным и невежественным. А вы, кремлевские холуи, просто отбросы общества, отрабатывающие кусок в свою кормушку с барского стола. Об этом я и написала господину Стингу на английском.
NorthernWind - 07.26.12
Dear Sting!
Please, don't believe people who blame you here. Sgt lies a lot (сплошное лукавство - Бог покарает). Pussy Riot didn't urge to kill policemen! LIE Another lie - they are nothing to do with Ukrainian ones - sgt, stop lying here. You think that person who 31 year (from 1981) is involved in human rights fighting is an idiot and incapable to recognise where is the TRUTH? Oh, there is something with you, really. Thanks a lot to someonewhocare. Please, don't give up with support of political prisoners in Russia, there are also others - 14 people after 6 May Meeting in Moscow. God Bless YOU
kivi - 07.26.12
The Kremlin toadies, do not cover the na
Dear Mr. Sting, thank you for your support to victims of the thieves' power in Russia. Do not believe those who wrote that the alleged "the whole Russian people" want to kill, execute, prosecute. Bigots, thieves and con men of power is always a cover name of the people, pursuing their own selfish personal interests of the thieves. They are lying. The Russian people are not so caveman, wild and angry we really are. And those who welcomed the councils, and the illegal killing of dissidents, we call them "the Kremlin toadies." It's the dregs of society.
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