More details on Pussy Riot and the escalation of Russian government's harsh treatment of democracy protesters:
From The Australian Newspaper via the Courier Mail (London):
"Headline:THE head of the Russian Orthodox Church has branded as "blasphemous" the feminist punk band Pussy Riot
The band members face up to seven years in jail for performing in a church. In a fiercely worded first comment on the case, the Patriarch Kirill criticised supporters of the dall-women group, saying they were "trying to justify this blasphemy, to minimise it, to present it as a fun joke." Five members of the radical protest group, who perform in colourful balaclavas and dresses, climbed on the altar of a central Moscow church earlier this month and sang a song they called a "Punk Prayer" before being seized by security guards.
The song's lyrics called for the Virgin Mary to "drive out (president-elect Vladimir) Putin" and to 'become a feminist.' Three of the women have been charged with hooliganism committed by an organised group, an unusually harsh charge for protesters. They are being held in pre-trial detention until late April, even though two of them have small children.
The charges were tougher than usual for the band, which was only fined for singing about Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Red Square... 'The devil had a laugh at all of us, bringing us so many sorrows in these days when we should be getting away from the turbulence of this world,' he said, referring to Lent..."
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Some of you may recall that up until these recent arrests, Pussy Riot had been spared arrest and detention due to their being female, at least, that's what they'd said in previous interviews. Looks like Putin and his pals have taken their gloves off and are playing dirty.
My thoughts are with these womens' families and friends at this time. Rotting in detention pre-trail in Russia can be nothing short of dreadful.
