Moscow Court Issues Sentences for Pussy Riot Members in Their Absence
In a controversial move, a Moscow district court has sentenced five members of the punk art collective Pussy Riot to prison terms ranging from 8 to 13 years. The sentencing, reported by The Art Newspaper, was handed down in absentia, suggesting that the members were not present in court at the time of the verdict.
The collective's anti-war stance, particularly their 2022 antiwar video titled "the howls of Mariupol," seems to have been the catalyst for the case. The video opened with the phrase "the howls of Mariupol," a reference to the Ukrainian port city that was invaded and then annexed by Russia in 2022.
The exact nature of the false information spread by Pussy Riot, as per the court, remains unspecified in the given context. However, the sentencing was due to the collective's alleged spreading of knowingly false information about the deployment of the Russian Armed Forces.
The five members sentenced are Maria Alyokhina, Anastasia "Taso" Pletner, Olga Borisova, Alina Petrova, and Diana Burkot. Burkot, a member of Pussy Riot, stated her support for the collective's anti-war stance.
The news about Burkot's statement was first reported by the Russian state-owned news agency Tass. Meanwhile, the siege of Mariupol affected its cultural venues, with reports indicating that Russian troops stole more than 2,000 artworks from three local museums in the city, as reported by the Mariupol City Council in 2022. The Kuindzhi Art Museum was among the museums from which artworks were stolen.
The sentencing of Pussy Riot members comes amidst a broader context of lenient sentences for rapists and murderers in Russia, compared to the long sentences given to activists for their opinions, as pointed out by Burkot.
The UN Human Rights Office reported at least 13,883 civilian deaths in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion as of July 2022. A report published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in June 2022 indicated more than 13,300 civilians killed and over 31,700 injured since February 2022. Human Rights Watch estimated 10,284 people were killed in Mariupol, although the exact figures of Ukrainian deaths are difficult to determine due to ongoing Russian occupation and the city's devastation.
The collective's prior anti-Putin actions also appear to be a part of the case. Pussy Riot has been known for their activism against the Russian government, with their performances often criticising President Vladimir Putin and his policies.
This development in the Pussy Riot case has sparked international outrage and calls for their immediate release. The collective's supporters argue that the sentences are unjust and an infringement on freedom of speech.
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