A quick follow up on three women who are likely the world's
most famous political prisoners: Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich; members of the
Russian punk collective Pussy Riot, who were recently sentenced to two years in
prison for their “punk prayer” performance in Moscow's Christ the Savior
cathedral last February.
Or maybe not. Russia's Human
Rights Ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, said he is ready to appeal the two year
sentence unless it is commuted by higher authorities (i.e. President Vladimir
Putin). “If the sentence stays as is, the ombudsman has a right to appeal it at
higher levels, which I will consider,” Lukin said in an interview with RIA
Novosti, adding that he considered the group's cathedral performance “not as a
crime but an administrative misdemeanor.”
It is hard to tell what affect, if
any, the Ombudsman's comments will have on the sentence handed down against the
three women, who have already served six months in jail awaiting their trial
earlier this month. Commuting their
sentences though could give Putin, who before the trial said that the judge
should not act “too harshly” towards the women, a chance to appear as a benevolent
ruler while also negating a verdict that has led to harsh criticism of Russia
from the international community.
Of course, another comment made by
Lukin is an indication of why Pussy Riot is unlikely to serve as a rallying
point for Russia's political opposition; Lukin called the cathedral performance
“I consider it tactless and silly.”
Public opinion polls have shown that a majority of Russians hold similar
views of the Pussy Riot protest.
Meanwhile, over at The Mantle this
week, I talk about why the Pussy Riot trial isn't the most important political prosecution in Russia today.
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