Three members of feminist-punk band Pussy Riot, whose trial has become a topic of worldwide criticism and drawn celebrity support from Danny Devito to Madonna, were found guilty of "hooliganism" today and sentenced to two years in prison. The band was arrested in February for performing a song inside Christ Savior Cathedral, reading a prayer that included the line, "Mother Mary please drive Putin away." A sliver of good news, if there is any good news in this story, which has highlighted issues of free of speech in Russia as well as the close relationship between the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, is that the two-year prison sentence begins from the day of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich's arrests. The six months they've served already will count toward the sentence.
Here's a little of the translated verdict given by judge Marina Syrova: "The women were motivated by religious enmity and hatred, and acted provocatively and in an insulting manner inside a religious building in the presence of a large number of believers. Intending to make the planned actions public and ensure that they drew public response, to draw the attention of the public to their illegal actions, and to communicate the expressed disrespect not only to the clergy and people in the church, but also to other citizens who were not present in the church at the time [of the punk prayer], but shared Orthodox traditions, Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and their unidentified accomplice informed various media assistants and active bloggers on their action."
Evidence read by Syrova for nearly two hours this morning included that the band had "engaged in homosexual propaganda." You can watch the verdict announcement below, and the Guardian is updating their coverage of the trial and the reactions from supporters outside of the courthouse in real-time. (They just posted a tweet from a summer intern at the New York Times' Moscow bureau estimating that 80 people have been arrested so far.)
Here's a little of the translated verdict given by judge Marina Syrova: "The women were motivated by religious enmity and hatred, and acted provocatively and in an insulting manner inside a religious building in the presence of a large number of believers. Intending to make the planned actions public and ensure that they drew public response, to draw the attention of the public to their illegal actions, and to communicate the expressed disrespect not only to the clergy and people in the church, but also to other citizens who were not present in the church at the time [of the punk prayer], but shared Orthodox traditions, Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and their unidentified accomplice informed various media assistants and active bloggers on their action."
Evidence read by Syrova for nearly two hours this morning included that the band had "engaged in homosexual propaganda." You can watch the verdict announcement below, and the Guardian is updating their coverage of the trial and the reactions from supporters outside of the courthouse in real-time. (They just posted a tweet from a summer intern at the New York Times' Moscow bureau estimating that 80 people have been arrested so far.)
Last night, Le Tigre and Men's JD Samson organized a reading of Pussy Riot's court statements by Chloe Sevigny, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Eileen Myles, Karen Finley, and Johanna Fateman (also of Men and Le Tigre). Rallies and marches are scheduled in more than 60 cities today in solidarity for Pussy Riot and, right this second, there is a march down Madison Avenue. (Samson tweets that two people have already been arrested). There's also a rally in Time Square planned for 1 p.m.- 2 p.m. See a full schedule of events in NYC today here.