The Global Controversy over Pussy Riot: An Anti-Putin Women’s Protest Group in Moscow
II JOURNAL Fall 2012 University of Michigan 13 The Global Controversy over Pussy Riot: An Anti-Putin Women’s Protest Group in Moscow by Jessica Zychowicz n February 21, 2012 a group of young women in the Russian punk band called Pussy Riot (PR), with Ocolorful stockings pulled over their heads, staged an impromptu performance at the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. Their show was far from orthodox by punk standards: they were lip synching, they didn’t break or burn anything, and they were wearing dresses that could only be described as, well, pretty. The band was arrested after the performance, and the ordeal of the three jailed band members has drawn worldwide attention to the incident and to the social injustices they sang about in their “punk prayer” in which they yelled for the Virgin Masked members of Pussy Riot feminist punk group perform during their fashmob- Mary to chase away Putin. After nearly half style protest inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior on February 21, 2012. a year on trial, the three women who were Photo ITAR-TASS/ Mitya Aleshkovsky. taken into custody: Maria Alyokhina, 24; Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30; and Nadezhda like Amnesty International and several key they would be sent to labor camps to Tolokonnikova, 23, were sentenced by politicians, including Angela Merkel, have serve out their terms: Tolokonnikova to Russia’s Superior Court on August 17th spoken out against the sentence.