Members of Russian Punk Band Pussy Riot Jailed For Offensive Speech: Should the Band Be Freed?

by Fergie Posted 2012/08/15 22:00:00

Related Topics: Music, Madonna, Pussy Riot

208 votes
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	Yes	164 votes	79%
	No	44 votes	21%

The musician community has been up in arms recently over the treatment of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot. Three members of Pussy Riot were arrested and jailed for shouting a "punk prayer" during a performance at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. In the "prayer," they called the Virgin Mary a feminist and yelled "Put Putin Out!" The Russian government is charging them with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" and they face up to three years in prison.

Madonna has been an extremely vocal advocate for the group, and various musicians including Peaches, The Knife, Miike Snow, The Hives and Peter Bjorn & John have come together to make a protest video. So, what do you think? Should Pussy Riot be freed -- or do they deserve jail time?

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emily_knockout 2012/08/15 22:41:04

Yes

+6
Yes,thats what punk is all about! Speaking freely with some rage and violence,and broadcasting your opinion!
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More polls by Fergie

Wortmore to Red 2012/08/16 16:09:29

you remind me of those stuck up Americans

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gary to Wortmore 2012/08/16 17:30:04

+1
the real term here is un or under educated American.

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Red to Wortmore 2012/08/16 22:02:25
strawberry to Red 2012/08/17 00:47:12

No one is telling you anything. Do what you want, believe what you want. I believe what I want to, what experience I have had living in other countries. The U.S. has become a too violent nation, yet people don't want gun control. It seems you have African American issues. You are not even relating to the subject of this question. I did not even comment to you in the first place.

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gary to strawberry 2012/08/16 17:41:00

Too many under or uneducated people, jobs are all being outsouced and politicians paid off. That the current state of the USA.

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Will 2012/08/16 05:50:20 (edited)
Red_Horse 2012/08/16 05:31:45 (edited)
Anarchico Anthony 2012/08/16 04:11:54

Yes

+4
Punk music is the last form of true free speech left on this earth. Free Pussy Riot! Bride is my favorite song of theirs!

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Your Favorite Nerd Guru 2012/08/16 04:09:46

Yes

+4
Everyone has freedom of speech...

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D'no 2012/08/16 04:03:52

No

+2
If there is public law that makes it illegal to say something then the consequences of breaking that law should be exacted on the individual/group. I am a christian, and if there is a law against my proclaiming my religion....and I continue to do so, then I expect to be jail and handed the punishment for breaking that law.

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Vieuphoria to D'no 2012/08/16 09:47:40

+3
That's essentially supporting oppression

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Red to Vieuphoria 2012/08/16 12:17:00
Bibliophilic 2012/08/16 03:59:25

Yes

+4
Of course, they sound pretty awesome by the way. A public disturbance should not receive jailtime, but then again this is Russia.

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The Bantam Seditioner 2012/08/16 03:42:59 (edited)

Yes

+3
Absolutely, they should be freed. They didn't harm a soul; only exercised their natural-born right to express an opinion.

Just because the Russian government does not *recognize* the right of free speech does not mean that that right magically ceases to exist. We have our rights because we're sentient beings capable of reason, not because some government doles them out to us. If the ruling elites in any given country can just "erase" a right, then it was never a right at all, but a privilege.

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mikeeonly 2012/08/16 03:05:47

Yes

+2
They didn't commit a crime, just disrespected religion

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jwhite193 2012/08/16 02:38:27
Heisenberg 2012/08/16 01:42:16

Yes

+3
Yes, they should be freed.

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Nam Era Vet #1 DNA TLC 2012/08/16 01:06:10

Yes

+3
It's Russia for gawd sakes, they never had freedom of speech.

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EastIndianFemme 2012/08/16 00:55:18

Yes

+1
Yes, plus it was nice reading about Madonna defending these ladies too!!

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~HopelessRomanticM17~ 2012/08/16 00:16:21

Yes

+4
what happened to FREEDOM of speech??

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Keith to ~Hopele... 2012/08/16 03:35:17

+3
It is in Russia not the US different laws.

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The Ban... to Keith 2012/08/16 03:40:34

+1
That's true, but you have freedom of speech because you're a human being, not just because you're from a country whose government recognizes those rights. If the people in power over there refuse to acknowledge those natural rights, then they are the real law-breakers.

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~Hopele... to Keith 2012/08/16 03:47:14

ohhh...i didn't know that part.

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Jon Bergen to ~Hopele... 2012/08/20 09:43:36

The laws may be different, but they are not guilty of the crime of which they are accused; this is the prime reason so much of the world is outraged. The verdict was set before the trial began. They engaged in political speech, but the prosecution says their openly political song WASN'T political at all, and declared it hate speech instead.

There's also this:

'The Moscow city court system has handed down not-guilty verdicts in just 239 of the 35,626 cases tried in court in 2011' (from Pussy Riot Punk Protesters Learn Their Fate For Anti-Putin Moscow Church Demonstration).

This wasn't about the exercise of justice; it was about the exercise of power. Putin's.

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Jon Bergen to Keith 2012/08/20 09:38:09

Except, even under Russian law, these girls aren't guilty. Prosecution charged them with engaging in hate speech toward the Russian Orthodox Church and declared their song had not actually been political speech or carrying a political message. But the song was called 'Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Out' and contains a chorus repeatedly naming Putin. It was, as all of Russia knows,in fact political speech. They are not guilty of the crime of which they are accused.

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Keith to Jon Bergen 2012/08/20 11:01:10

Well maybe I'm no expert in russians, I do know though in Russia people who talk bad about their government especially Putin tend to disappear or die in sudden accident.

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Jon Bergen to Keith 2012/08/22 20:35:03

My point was only that they did not break the law they were tried for breaking, and that the whole world (including most Russians) knows it; i.e., the rule of law is absent in Russia.

Which brings up your very valid point, to which I can only respond: All too true.

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Nekosarethebest 2012/08/16 00:05:08

Yes

+1
People can't say pussy now? Well damn...

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scbluesman13 2012/08/15 22:49:15

Yes

+3
Be honest... Everyone just saw the "free pussy" part and jumped into the thread...

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bryguy 2012/08/15 22:47:09

Yes

+4
Congress shall make no law...

Oh wait, this is Russia.

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Greg to bryguy 2012/08/16 15:38:31

+1
The freedom of speech is an unalienable right endowed by our creator, not granted by governments. The US constitution only affirms that right and guarantees it for US citizens, it does not grant it to them, there is a HUGE distinction. Any government that abridges that right is illegitimate and should be overthrown.

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Wortmore to Greg 2012/08/16 16:14:02

The Russian government is one of those governments where a attempt to overthrow ends in tears, some goverments can only be passively brought down

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Greg to Wortmore 2012/08/16 21:55:38

+1
Whatever it takes, man. I hope you (and I) can live free.

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emily_knockout 2012/08/15 22:41:04

Yes

+6
Yes,thats what punk is all about! Speaking freely with some rage and violence,and broadcasting your opinion!

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Lisa 2012/08/15 22:40:04

Yes

+2
I just think putting them in jail would just prove some of what they were singing as correct and it would just give the government a bad name.If i were in charge of their punishment I would make them do service for the church...help the nuns out or something

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darwolf 2012/08/15 22:38:50

No

+1
The reason i'm voting no. Is because i don't have the full story. Any time the western media say's any anything about Russia. I have hard time believing it.

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bryguy to darwolf 2012/08/15 22:51:01

+1
Then why didn't you go inform yourself about the whole story instead of arbitrarily voting "No?"

Or, if you didn't feel like doing a 30 second Google search, why even bother voting at all? Are you really that big a fan of Putin that you feel the need to come on here and try defending his government or their ridiculous, draconian laws?

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darwolf to bryguy 2012/08/15 23:21:53

+1
If they broke Russia law. Then should live with the consequences of their actions. I may not be a fan Putin. But do respect him as a world leader. More than any us president.

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bryguy to darwolf 2012/08/16 00:52:03

+2
I have absolutely no respect for any world leader that has to rig elections to stay in power. You sound like a fan of autocratic government.

And no...I don't agree with enforcing unjust laws. Maybe if you have so much respect for despots like Putin and his despotic laws you'd be happier in North Korea where you'd get to spend 10 years in a gulag for criticizing the government.

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darwolf to bryguy 2012/08/16 01:21:21

+2
We have no proof if the elections in Russia was rigged or not. Like i said i have hard time believing everything western media say. As for enforcing unjust laws. Happens all the time in the us. Yet nobody seems to talk about it.

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