Pussy Riot Research Paper

Three members of the Russian punk-rock rebel band, Pussy Riot, have been jailed for two years after staging an anti-Putin protest. The official reason for their incarceration has been officially listed as “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred (1).” The sentence has sparked intense global support for Pussy Riot, as well as increased opposition against the Russian government. The all-female band performed this protest in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral. After blessing themselves with the sign of the cross, the members, dressed in vibrantly colored masks, bowed towards the alter and videotaped a “punk prayer.” Their song called to Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin. The resulting video, titled “Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away” was subsequently uploaded onto the Internet. The video suggests a direct criticism of Putin’s anti-feministic political infrastructure and aims to undermine his reelection.

A still from the released video that landed
Pussy Riot’s members in jail. (11)

Their punishment came in the form of "two years deprivation of liberty in a penal colony (1).” And according to a B.B.C article (1), Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich smiled from inside a glass-walled cage as their verdict was announced on Aug. 17. Tolokonnikova, her fist pumped into the air as she was led out of the courtroom, was sent to Mordovia. The region of Perm was left to Alyokhina. Both are considered the harshest existing camps. Samutsevich was released last month, but Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, both mothers of small children, will be expected to complete the full sentence.

The three awaiting their verdict in the courtroom (12). In terms of the immediate domestic response, Pussy Riot received both support and criticism. And the underlying religious context was undeniable. A group of four women, one of them topless, sawed down a cross at a