PEN is shocked by a Russian court’s decision to keep the members of Russian punk group Pussy Riot in jail until at least late July. A court in the city said that they should stay in custody while an investigation is carried out. According to press reports, the court reasoned that the defendants could “destroy evidence” if they were freed.

Background Information

Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samusevich face up to seven years in jail for hooliganism—an exceptionally harsh punishment for a political protest—after storming the altar of the Christ the Savior Cathedral on February 21 in short dresses and colorful masks to sing a "punk prayer.” The lyrics of the song condemn the then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Outside the court building on June 20, police detained dozens of Pussy Riot supporters who whistled in unison, chanted anti-Kremlin slogans, and clashed with Orthodox activists. Others gathered outside the courthouse included journalists, bloggers, and a number of people with white ribbons as a symbol of opposition. Some carried white roses, while others wore shirts that said “Prison for a song?” Several well-known opposition figures made appearances at the hearing as well. The extension of the imprisonment is particularly harsh in light of the fact that two of the women have young children from whom they have been separated for four months.

Read PEN Russia’s open letter to Vladimir Putin in support of Pussy Riot members here.

More information:

Write A Letter

  • Protesting the detention of Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina Samusevich;
  • Pointing out that they are being treated particularly harshly because of the contents of the song lyrics;
  • Referring to Russia’s obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Russia, which protects the right to freedom of expression;
  • Further referring to the fact that the women will be held for more than three months without trial, breaching Article 9 of the ICCPR, which guarantees the right not to be held in pre-trial detention for lengthy periods of time.

Send Your Letter To

Mr. Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Kremlin
Moscow
Russia
Fax: +7 095 206 5173 / 230 2408
Send a message through the Kremlin web site

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Russia in your country if possible.

Please send appeals immediately. Contact PEN if sending appeals after July 22, 2012: ftw [at] pen.org