Russia Condemned Over Pussy Riot Ruling

Following up the football field action, Policeman Enters The Game, in which four Pussy Riot activists invaded the field demanding the release of political prisoners, Pussy Riot are releasing a ‘Track About Good Cop’. “This track is a utopian dream about alternative political reality in which instead of arresting activists and putting them in jail, cops are joining activists. The world where cops got rid of homophobia, stopped the war on drugs, and actually understood that it’s much better to be joyful and nice to people.” Policemen are dancing along the track that goes: “Cops are kissing under the clouds”.

Today also marks a victory in the court against their Russian government as the European Court of Human Rights condemned Russia for its harsh, humiliating and severe treatment of the Pussy Riot members after the 2012 protest in the Moscow cathedral.

Alongside the recent live actions, there will be new art revealed to spread the continued calls for action and protest to a wider audience. Some of Pussy Riot’s members’ identity were unfortunately and abruptly revealed after their arrest for performing 35 seconds of the Punk Prayer, ‘Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away’,” in Moscow’s Savior’s Cathedral in 2012. Since then Pussy Riot’s worked on new music and video art, such as: ‘I Can’t Breathe’, their first English language song made in honor of Eric Garner, ‘Chaika’ about Russia’s corrupt prosecutor general, ‘Make America Great Again’ which was eerily created and shot before #45 was elected president, and ‘Police State’ with a video starring Chloe Sevigny and released at the end of last year.

Art is just a part of Pussy Riot’s mission. In 2014, since the release of two members from prison, they launched Mediazona, a free-of-censorship independent Russian media agency focusing on law enforcement issues like conditions in prisons and prosecutions of political activists. Activists of Pussy Riot are advocating for the prison reform in Russia and providing help and lawyers to prisoners.

“We demand:

1. Free Pussy Riot members Olga Pahtusova, Olga Kuracheva, Nika Nikulshina, Peter Verzilov, who are jailed for 15 days for their “Policeman Enters The Game” action during the World Cup.

2. Free Oleg Sentsov and other political prisoners.

3. Don’t put people in jail for likes and reposts.

4. Stop mass arrests at political rallies.

5. Stop fucking with Navalny.

6. Stop imprisoning so many people for 228 article of Criminal code (drug offenses).

7. Cancel 282 article of Russian Criminal code (“extremism”, one of the main political criminal articles)

8. Freedom of speech and expression in Russia.

9. Give a federal TV-channel to an activist media outlet “Mediazona” (zona.media)”