Russian prosecutors want the three women of Pussy Riot to get three years in prison for playing a song attacking Putin in front of an altar in a cathedral.
“The actions of the accomplices clearly show religious hatred and enmity,” state prosecutor Alexei Nikiforov said in closing arguments.
“Using swear words in a church is an abuse of God.”
He said the women had “set themselves up against the Orthodox Christian world”.
Using swear words in a church is an abuse of God? And that deserves three years in prison?
People are crazy. Just bug-nuts.
The religion part of this seems to be mostly scam. Their real offense is the political opposition to Putin. Since the church has sided with Putin already, Pussy Riot chose that venue, but then Putin realized aggressive prosecution of them would further tie the church to him. It’s all about the continuing move back to dictatorship in Russian Federation (sorta like the religious right would like to do here had they pushed Santorium through and will now, somewhat reluctantly, pursue with Mittwit).
Mittwit. Thank you. I am stealing that.
But the Pussyriot thing is a tragedy. Or rather, the Russian Federation is a tragedy.
“Using swear words in a church is an abuse of God.”
Clearly, God is easily upset, and is not one to laugh something like this off then say ‘Excuse me, but I’m out of here. I’ve got bigger concerns than this.’
If he hangs around hoping to be backed up by a flea like Putin, he must be very small-minded. And weak.
More broadly, why is Russia getting so big on official religionism? Didn’t they learn anything from Tsarism and Communism?
Of course they did: “You have to get the church on your side if you want your power to last long.”
The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent Miriam Elder @MiriamElder has been doing a great job live tweeting the trial in English. Yesterday was a very telling comment from the prosecution:
Lawyer: “You say you think everyone should have equal rights. What about the patriarch?…This is discrimination.”
Equality is discrimination because some people are in fact above other people, like for instance the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church. Neat summation of not only issues here but all sorts of authoritarian ideologies.
Also there were lots of amusing stuff from the prosecution about feminism being a mortal sin.
I’m always curious as to why doG can’t handle these things for himself. After all he zapped Onan and several others back in the good old OT days. Maybe doG”s not around any more?
So, feminism is a mortal sin? Well then, most of my mates are going to end up in Hell – I’d better make damn sure I end up there too!!
It always baffles me why the defence in any case where someone is accused of ‘abuse of God’ or the like don’t call upon God to appear in the witness stand and give evidence against the accused, and then let his subsequent failure to do so stand as evidence that he does not consider himself aggrieved. Okay, I know that’s never what blasphemy trials are really about, but at least it would force the prosecution to openly admit what the trial actually is about.
“…Equality is discrimination because some people are in fact above other people…”
Easy. Some are more equal than others. Orwell’s Animal Farm established that back in 1945.
Off topic, but NPRs Talk of the Nation has a segment on sexual harassment of women online gamers.
Really! Excellent. [makes note to find link]