Oct 29, 2012
The lawyer for two jailed Pussy Riot singers speaks to Crikey as her clients are transported to a Siberian penal colony. Russian-born journalist Sasha Petrova finds out what conditions the women will face.
“And so you’ve found yourself here, in the correctional colony. Of course this isn’t the best place in the world, but what can you do? The court has sentenced you to a certain period: for some it’s one year, for others two, and for others even longer. Even so, remember that your life hasn’t ended and wherever it is that you find yourself, you must always remain civil.”
This is the absurd introduction for convicted criminals, found on the website of the Federal Service for the Execution of Punishments — the government body overseeing Russia’s vast network of remote penal colonies that two members of the punk band Pussy Riot were convoyed to recently. Not unlike Russia’s president, who recently guided a flock of Siberian cranes towards their winter habitat in a hang glider, its prison system is as ludicrous as it is frightening.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Not already subscribed? Get your free trial, access everything immediately
Guantanamo is full of innocent people who have never been put to tiral.. That’s the world we live in.
http://newmatilda.com/2012/10/29/weekend-protest-nauru
Well this is what we here do to hundreds of people who have never seen a court or committed a crime of any kind anywhere.
You lefties wanted laws against acts that offend people on the basis of their religion, now you have them. Enjoy!
Stalinism lives!
Um, Patriot. Shitty trolling attempt. This article was about certain goings on within the ‘legal’ system of one of the most corrupt governments in the world. You would be hard pressed to call Putin a “lefty”.
Try harder, Patriot – so far you are not up to snuff.
Eccles, you haven’t a clue. 14 of 16 paragraphs that make up the article refer to Pussy Riot and/or their lawyer.
They were convicted of hooliganism motivated by “religious hatred”, just the sort of laws lefties around the world get excited about.
You could learn a lot about yourself by considering how you would respond if I entered a Mosque uninvited and engaged in some grossly offensive performance – say, burning a page of the Quran. You would no doubt want me charged with something for the offense caused. Then consider your attitude to Pussy Riot. I suspect you will find you are a hypocrite but just never realised it.
Breaking butterflies on a wheel
And yes Patriot, because a declaration of infringement is just like two years in a Siberian prison camp. Oh wait …