The imprisoned members of Pussy Riot have been freed! Today, Nadezhda “Nadya” Tolokonnikova and Maria “Masha” Alyokhinam of the Russian feminist punk group, were officially released in compliance with a new amnesty bill approved by the Russian parliament.
This is great news (though it does not end the struggle for human rights in Russia)!
From the early days following the arrests of three Pussy Riot members (Nadya, Masha and a third member, Ekaterina “Katya” Samutsevich) for performing a protest song at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Amnesty International has been involved in the effort to unconditionally free the punk rockers!
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have signed petitions, participated in protests, submitted pictures and sent notes to show solidarity, and to urge the Russian authorities to release the Pussy Riot band members and all Prisoners of Conscience, and to repeal all laws that curtail human rights.
Without the tireless efforts of all the activists that make up the global human rights movement, we would not be celebrating today. But tomorrow, the struggle continues.
Momentum grew. Ordinary activists joined with global artists and celebrities. Musicians Anti-Flag, Sting, Roger Waters, Pearl Jam, Flogging Molly, Foster the People, Switchfoot, Fitz and the Tantrums, Milo Greene, Amanda Palmer, Jesse Harris, Escort and My Morning Jacket showed their support by contributing photos and solidarity messages to our Free Pussy Riot World Map – adding their voices to those of thousands of students and activists who participated in the project.
Hundreds of people attended annual punk rock concerts in front of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. – a few of many events organized by Amnesty that galvanized the artistic community to express solidarity with the group members and the rights they continue to champion. In July 2013, Adele, U2, Madonna, Yoko Ono, Radiohead, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Ke$ha, Sir Paul McCartney and Sting united with more than 100 musicians to call for the release of Pussy Riot.
In total, over 220,000 actions have been taken through Amnesty International USA on the punk rockers’ behalf.
Without the tireless efforts of all the activists that make up the global human rights movement, we would not be celebrating today. Please take a moment to send your message of support to the women you stood with until they were free. Tomorrow, the struggle continues.
Have a great christmas you deserve it
We had a specal on you guys on The Mike Indie Show a few days ago. http://www.mikegrungejazz.com
Amnesty International's focus on helping Pussy Riot seriously makes me reconsider future monetary support. It makes me wonder if many of the other issues being discussed on this site are just as bogus.
I think is nice.
I am usually fully behind Amnesty's human rights agenda and applaud its actions. I've written letters and contributed to the cause.
Unfortunately, Pussy Riot/its former members does not belong in the honorable group of the Prisoners of Conscience. While Putin's repressive autocracy is deplorable and the spoken and written political message of this group is on point, the unnecessary shock value in the delivery of this message is just wrong. They are provocateurs in the most tasteless way — as part of the "art group" Voina, some members staged orgies in a museum (where Nadia was visibly pregnant) and one performed a sex act with a raw chicken in a public supermarket. This would be reprehensible anywhere. It's not free speech, it's offensive obscenity.
How does this advance human rights or feminism?
While serving a year sentence of forced factory work for barging into a church with a protest punk performance was too harsh, these women were not arrested for free speech, but for causing havoc. Their previous acts have diminished their integrity in my eyes, even as they continue their crusade against Putin in Sochi. Because of their crude methods of protest, these women do not belong in the same group as Nelson Mandela or Aung San Suu Kyi.