Pussy Riot members on trial in Moscow over Putin protest

Russia’s Pussy Riot are renowned for jumping around in brightly coloured clothes, wearing balaclavas and singing feminist punk songs, all in challenge of the legitimacy of Putin’s government and the problems inherent in Russian society. The state has helped spread their message by arresting, incarcerating and refusing bail to three of the band members. Two of them have small children, no one has been allowed to see them and they are looking at seven years in jail. 

Today is the first day of their trial, which concerns a protest back in February in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Five members of Pussy Riot vaulted onto the steps of the pulpit and performed the beginning of a punk song before being led away by security. Their song took the form of a prayer to the Virgin Mary, asking her to throw Putin out. 

The band comprises of an undetermined number of women. With Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, on trial for hooliganism, the rest have spent the last five months in hiding. They adopt interchangeable pseudonyms. “Squirrel”, who wears a purple dress, yellow tights and blue balaclava, told the Guardian: “Pussy Riot means that women are fed up with the sexist regime, with the situation, with this political system and with religion.” When questioned about the balaclavas she said: “It’s like Batman, you always have it with you!” She explained that anonymity is central to their message, in that they aren’t individuals, but an idea. 

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has said that the protest was blasphemous, while the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has dismissed criticism of the case. He told the Times: “It seems to me that there will always be different perceptions about what is acceptable and not acceptable from a moral point of view and where moral misbehaviour becomes a criminal action.” 

However Amnesty International is calling for the unconditional release of the girls. Their UK Director Kate Allen said: “We consider them prisoners of conscience. If found guilty, they could face up to seven years imprisonment – a totally unjustifiable response to a peaceful protest performance.” 

Franz Ferdinand, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sting, have also shown their support. 

Tolokonnikova spoke to her defence lawyer today from her courtroom cage. She said: “We did not want to offend anybody. We admit our political guilt, but not legal guilt.” 

Jane Evans