Pussy riot

Pussy Riot is a punk rock band and Russian activist group that stages controversial protests against the Russian government. In most cases, the group seeks to protest human rights abuses, unfair elections, and sexism. It often uses punk rock, controversial lyrics, and controversial imagery as part of its protests. Though the group began in 2011, it did not come to international attention until its protest “A Punk Prayer” in 2012, in which the group invaded the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to protest the re-election of President Vladimir Putin.

After being arrested for the protest, two members of Pussy Riot were given extreme prison sentences as punishment. They were sentenced to two years in prison and then moved to remote hard labor camps. While in prison, Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova continued to protest against prison conditions, engaging in a hunger strike. Her actions captured the attention of international human rights groups, who viewed the move as an attempt to damage free speech in Russia. They launched a campaign to free the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot, who were eventually released and granted amnesty two months before the end of their original sentence.

Background

Pussy Riot was founded in August 2011 in Moscow, Russia, as an anarchist art collective and punk rock protest band. Because of the political situation in Russia, including perceived risks to the members of protest groups, the identities of all the members of Pussy Riot are not public information. The group first began to garner public support when two of its members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, began playing music written by a group at a feminist lecture. The punk music, titled “Ubey seksista,” which translates to “Kill the Sexist,” was immediately popular. Tolokonnikova and Samutsevich were no strangers to utilizing art as a tool for protest and activism. The pair previously belonged to Voina, a Russian art group that utilized street performances, pranks, and vandalism as forms of protest.

Pussy Riot began to perform in a similar manner to Voina, utilizing public performances as a means to raise awareness. In November 2011, Pussy Riot held its first dramatic demonstration in a Moscow subway station. Later that year, the group performed next to a detention center, bringing awareness to the arrests of various protestors. The Russian media began to cover Pussy Riot demonstrations, portraying the activists in a negative light. In a performance in 2012, several members of Pussy Riot were found guilty of breaking Russia’s rules on protesting and were given minor fines. At the time, the group was still primarily known in Russia and had not achieved much international attention.

Overview

In 2012, Vladimir Putin was declared the victor of Russia’s 2012 presidential election. More than one hundred thousand anti-Putin protestors marched in Moscow, voicing their displeasure with the Russian government. Protestors argued that the government was no longer accountable to the people, and they wanted political candidates other than Putin.

Pussy Riot planned and executed a demonstration during these protests. Called “A Punk Prayer,” the protest involved five female members of Pussy Riot in colorful balaclavas. They played protest-themed music inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The protestors displayed numerous sacrilegious acts, including miming violence, mocking prayer, and disrespecting the symbols of the church. The lyrics of the protest song “A Punk Prayer” asked for the removal of the Russian president and spoke out against the Russian Orthodox Church.

This protest attracted international attention and resulted in a much harsher rebuke from the Russian government. Despite their facial coverings, the identities of several members of Pussy Riot were discovered. Three members of the group, including Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, and Maria Alyokhina, were arrested and jailed. They were charged with hooliganism, tried, and convicted. Both Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were jailed, but Samutsevich was offered probation. When Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova requested to be jailed near their families, they were sent to separate remote labor camps. At the time of their incarceration, both women had young children.

These sentences were viewed as overly harsh by the international community. They were covered in the media of numerous western nations, including the United States. The White House under President Obama formally protested the verdict, asserting that the sentences were disproportionate to the crimes committed. Many worried that the cases were meant to serve as an example, helping reduce freedom of expression in Russia through the fear of large prison sentences.

All jailed members of Pussy Riot later raised serious concerns about the living conditions inside the prisons. Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike to raise awareness of the inhumane living conditions. She also wrote about harsh working conditions and extreme punishments for minor infractions.

Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were granted amnesty from a special bill signed by Putin targeted at prisoners with young children. The bill also released numerous other activists. According to Alyokhina, if given the choice, she would have served the remainder of her sentence instead of accepting amnesty. The women argued that the release from prison, which came just two months before the end of their official sentences, was more of a political move than a mercy. Additionally, they contended to be innocent of any wrongdoing and would only have accepted a full acquittal.

The group Pussy Riot continued to stage musical political protests against the Russian government. In 2018, four members of the group dressed in faux police uniforms and rushed the field of the World Cup Final match, disrupting the game. They were quickly arrested and later sentenced to fifteen days in prison and banned from attending sporting events for three years.

That same year, Russian activist and Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov was hospitalized with a mysterious illness while working to investigate the deaths of three Russian journalists. German doctors concluded that it was likely that Verzilov had been poisoned. Into the mid-2020s, Pussy Riot continued to perform in the name of political activism, staging shows and protests worldwide. In November 2023, Pussy Riot performed at the Indiana Supreme Court to protest abortion laws. In June 2024, Tolokonnikova opened her first solo museum exhibition titled "RAGE" at the OK Center for Contemporary Art in Linz, Austria. The exhibition was a retrospective of Pussy Riot's career and contains protest art regarding relevant topics, such as the Russian war with Ukraine and reproductive rights.

Bibliography

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Haynes, Suyin. “’It’s Not Putin’s Russia – It’s Our Russia’ Pussy Riot Members on Protests, Poisonings and Politics,” Time, 2 Nov. 2018, time.com/5442791/pussy-riot-russia-poisoning-olga-kyrachyova-veronika-nikulshina. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Lipman, Masha. “The Absurd and Outrageous Trial of Pussy Riot.” The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2012, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-absurd-and-outrageous-trial-of-pussy-riot. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Mullen, Jethro, et al. “Imprisoned Pussy Riot Band Members Released,” CNN, 23 Dec. 2013, edition.cnn.com/2013/12/23/world/europe/russia-pussy-riot-member-freed/index.html. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Nemtsova, Anna. “Freed Pussy Riot Members Say Prison Was Time of ‘Endless Humiliations.’” The Guardian, 23 Dec. 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/23/freed-pussy-riot-amnesty-prison-putin-humiliation. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Parfitt, Tom. “Anti-Putin Protesters March Through Moscow.” The Guardian, 4 Feb. 2012, www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/04/anti-putin-protests-moscow-russia. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

“Pussy Riot: The Story So Far.” BBC, 23 Dec. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25490161. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Shubert, Atika, et al. “Pussy Riot Member Pyotr Verzilov Was Probably Poisoned, German Medics Say.” CNN, 18 Sept. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/09/18/europe/pussy-riot-pyotr-verzilov-poisoned-intl/index.html. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

“Who Are Pussy Riot? A Guide to the Russian Activist Group Who Crashed the World Cup Final.” NME, 13 Sept. 2018, www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/who-are-pussy-riot-russia-activist-group-world-cup-final-pitch-invasion-2354987. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.