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.
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dailydouq
August 7, 2012 at 5:44 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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).
earwig
August 7, 2012 at 5:51 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Mittwit. Thank you. I am stealing that.
But the Pussyriot thing is a tragedy. Or rather, the Russian Federation is a tragedy.
Ian MacDougall
August 7, 2012 at 6:58 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
“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.
lpetrich
August 7, 2012 at 8:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
More broadly, why is Russia getting so big on official religionism? Didn’t they learn anything from Tsarism and Communism?
Ysanne
August 7, 2012 at 11:59 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Of course they did: “You have to get the church on your side if you want your power to last long.”
Amanda
August 8, 2012 at 12:47 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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.
sailor1031
August 8, 2012 at 5:03 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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?
Bernard Hurley
August 8, 2012 at 5:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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!!
boselecta
August 8, 2012 at 5:36 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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.
peterh
August 8, 2012 at 5:54 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
“…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.
Charles Sullivan
August 8, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Off topic, but NPRs Talk of the Nation has a segment on sexual harassment of women online gamers.
Ophelia Benson
August 8, 2012 at 1:46 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Really! Excellent. [makes note to find link]
Support Pussy Riot’s Rights To Religious and Political Dissent | Camels With Hammers
August 17, 2012 at 9:21 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
[...] podcast Freethought Radio. Read Ophelia Benson’s coverage of this story in the posts: Swear words in a church and Uncomfortable with activist [...]
The New York Times Called Those Who Brought What Were Essentially Blasphemy Charges Against Pussy Riot “Victims”
September 15, 2012 at 3:04 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
[...] “Like in the Middle Ages.”Read Ophelia Benson’s coverage of this story in the posts: Swear words in a church and Uncomfortable with activist women. Taslima Nasreen has also expressed her outrage. Here is [...]