Two years for that? You get less time in jail for beating someone to within an inch of their life.

bluntfringe. 

(Source: newsweek, via spinninglovestory)

motherjones:

cheatsheet:

poetsorg:

Pussy Riot was convicted of hooliganism in Russia today. They have been sentenced to two years in prison. Here’s a selection of Maria Alyokhina’s closing statement, in which she discusses poetry (via n+1):

I would like to point out that very similar methods were used during the trial of the poet [Joseph] Brodsky. His poems were defined as “so-called” poems; the witnesses for the prosecution hadn’t actually read them—just as a number of the witnesses in our case didn’t see the performance itself and only watched the clip online. Our apologies, it seems, are also being defined by the collective prosecuting body as “so-called” apologies. Even though this is offensive. And I am overwhelmed with moral injury and psychological trauma. Because our apologies were sincere. I am sorry that so many words have been uttered and you all still haven’t understood this. Or it is calculated deviousness when you talk about our apologies as insincere. I don’t know what you still need to hear from us. But for me this trial is a “so-called” trial. And I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of falsehood and fictitiousness, of sloppily disguised deception, in the verdict of the so-called court.

Ridiculous. 

More here.

Just another “so-called” trial in a “so-called” modern democracy.

(Source: tibozissou)

Three punk girls Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova two years in prison. About 1,000 of Pussy Riot’s supporters are chanting “Shame!” “Fascists!” and “Freedom to Pussy Riot!” outside the court.

Newsweek’s Russian correspondent just sent this update from the Pussy Riot sentencing.