Pussy Riot duo sent to remote penal colony

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have lost their appeal to serve their sentence in a Moscow pre-trial detention centre.

They will now serve the remainder of their terms in a remote penal colony, where conditions are much tougher.

A Moscow court last week upheld the two-year jail sentences imposed on Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, over a cathedral protest against Vladimir Putin.

They were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-16/pussy-riot-duo-sent-to-remote-penal-colony/4314908?section=entertainment

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"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."
-- George W. Bush, conservative icon, on Putin

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. I bet Putin pardons them in three or six months.

Then he will have punished them severely, yet appear magnanimous by freeing them.

[Savannahmann]

8. I don't think so.

Authoritarians don't need to appear magnanimous. They need to appear strong and in control.

[defacto7]

2. Your G. Bush quote is an excellent retort....

Question... Why was one member given a suspended sentence and the other two sent to the penal colony? I haven't read any reasons behind the sentencing.

[starroute]

6. I believe that one wasn't actually at the protest

[lanlady]

25. She didn't actually take part.

Although she was at the scene of the protest, she was prevented by the police from joining up with the other two.

[icymist]

3. OH shit!!!

These girls have been through enough! I'll be protesting this at my next gig tomorrow night!

[mindwalker_i]

4. yeah, where do they think they are, America?

Oh wait...

[Ash_F]

5. The propaganda used to be that Russians were atheists.

It looks here like they are more Conservatively Christian than the US.

[defacto7]

7. The Russian Orthodox Church

is extremely conservative. Much more so than the Roman Catholics. Putin professes to be a staunch Russian Orthodox though I think it's just a public put on. Keeps the people opiated.

edit: FYI, Stalin wanted to be a priest; he studied for the priesthood.

[knitter4democracy]

21. Conservative, yes, but that's to be expected.

The higher-ups tend to be pretty reactionary, and the new patriarch seems to be all about power. Our bishop (the one who covers North America for the Russian synodal churches) gave a sermon at our anniversary last summer that was all about defeating the Muslims and kicking them out of Christian countries and worse. His translator smoothed things over by not exactly translating it right or in full. Anyway, it was more than a little shocking to us--Americans in a Russian church.

[Mister K]

9. Rura Penthe?

[onehandle]

10. Which one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rura_Penthe

[AsahinaKimi]

18. I was gonna say...

I didn't know we had connections to the Klingon Empire yet....

[dipsydoodle]

11. "News" is from 10th October.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19893008 confirms.

[Piazza Riforma]

12. They make it sound like a free speech issue

when, in fact, it's about their busting into a church during services and proceeding to launch into a loud, offensive tirade. The fact is that had Pussy Riot did the same thing over here they would have likely got jail time as well.

If they wanted to protest Putin there are much more appropriate venues (incl. OUTSIDE the church) they could have chosen than to crudely interrupt people while they are worshiping.

Imagine the outcry from many of the people on here if Ted Nugent burst into a mosque during Friday prayers and started singing a song that asks God to "drive the Muslims away". There would be demands for prosecution and jail time.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. And what sort of sentence would such a simple tresspass charge carry in the US?

Fucking misdemeanor?

[happyslug]

30. I looked this up in August, the sentence would be about the same in the US for the same act.,

What would be the sentence for the same act in the US? In most cases 2-3 years.

Under Pennsylvania law their act would be in violation of Section 3503 Defiant trespass:
http://law.onecle.com/pennsylvania/crimes-and-offenses/00.035.003.000.html
and as such a misdemeanor of the third degree, given people told them to leave while they were doing their "Protest".

They would also be guility of § 5508. Disrupting meetings and processions.
http://law.onecle.com/pennsylvania/crimes-and-offenses/00.055.008.000.html
Which is another misdemeanor of the third degree

This would also be § 5503. Disorderly conduct, another misdemeanor of the third degree.

And under Pennsylvania law they could be sentence up to a year imprisonment for EACH misdemeanor of the third degree they are convicted of:
http://law.onecle.com/pennsylvania/crimes-and-offenses/00.001.006.000.html

Thus these three women, if they had done what they did in Pennsylvania would have been facing up to three years imprisonment. One year for each of the above crimes. Other states have similar laws.

[Posteritatis]

16. Gee, that certainly sounds like it warrants a trip to the gulag. Oy. (nt)

[tabasco]

19. Yeah, Ol' Pants-Crapper would probably get Sing Sing

for that trespassing offense!

[LiberalLovinLug]

20. Another false equivalency

You can't equate a protest against a corrupt leader of one's country and a racist tirade against an identifiable ethnic or religious group in their own church.

They weren't protesting a religion or the church. They only used their stage because of how intertwined this church is with the state.

The only equivalent I can see is if a peace group crashed an evangelical Christian church during Dubya's reign to protest the Iraq War with slogans like "Who would Jesus Bomb?"...

Dang it, I'd have liked to see that!

But there are a few Authoritarians on DU it seems. I see a lot of it on HuffPo. Many saying they should rot in jail etc....incredible.

[NYC Liberal]

27. "There would be demands for prosecution and jail time"

And those demands would be wrong.

Being "offensive" should never, ever be a crime, let alone warrant jail time. I bet you they would not have gotten jailtime for offensive speech. Perhaps they might have been arrested for trespassing, which is entirely different. But no, they would not have been jailed for the speech.

[Ash_F]

28. I don't think anyone here would demand 2 years for it.

They were held for 6 months without bail then sentenced to two years. One of the arrestees wasn't even there, but they were imprisoned for 6 months anyway.

The thing to be outraged about is the punishment, not the arrest. The night in jail, maybe a week, ok. But 2.5 years for trespassing is cruel.

[Shireling]

13. My how times have changed

In the 1970's, I was attending a church service when three guys burst through the doors in the pulpit, ran down the main aisle of the church and out the front doors of the church and THEY WERE BUTT NAKED!

It was called "streaking" back then, and people did it for the "hell of it" and some did it to protest. People would streak anywhere. I don't remember the reason why these guys did it.

What was the reaction of the church members and the minister? They looked at each other and THEN THEY LAUGHED.

It made the newspaper. The column about it was funny!

Oh, but NOW they should be prosecuted.

Boy, I sure am glad that I can remember what our country used to be.

[Megahurtz]

14. They Did NOT Deserve ANY Punishment

for exercising their right to free speech. I would not be surprised if they are being "made an example of" in this way, because they are women.

[knitter4democracy]

22. They're being made an example for all of the above.

They're women, they had the audacity to say that the Patriarch and Putin are too closely tied (they are), they interrupted liturgy for a political statement--it's for all of it.

[yellowcanine]

17. Putting "pussy" and "penal" in the same headline could create some google issues.

[hockeynut57]

23. my juvenile sense of humor

had snickering at the headline too.

[olddad56]

29. when I read the headline, my mind did wander directly away from protesters and prison.

[PD Turk]

24. ...

@ the headline

[elbloggoZY27]

26. Baloney

Guess this is what you call real Socialism USSR version.

Let the ladies go.


These ladies are no threat.


BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[Sunlei]

31. we need an online place where these woman can have some worldwide support

No scam charities. A way we can contribute some direct funds to their prison and/or assist their family on the outside.