In February 2012, during the election campaign, the group "Pussy Riot", consisting of three girls, held an "anti-Putin" speech, choosing for this purpose the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. With their punk performance near the altar of the most famous church in Russia, they caused a wave of indignation among believers and ministers of the Orthodox Church.
The group began performing in October-November 2011, she managed to perform her punk performances in many crowded places - on the roof of reception center # 1, in the subway and even on Red Square. These actions were treated with irony, and the only punishment for the girls was a fine of 500 rubles. This impunity allowed the group to continue performing, and they chose the pulpit of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior as the stage.
The video clip with the performance was posted on the Internet, in a few days it collected a huge number of views and caused a great public outcry. Three participants, Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were arrested and charged under the "hooliganism" article, the maximum punishment for which is up to 7 years in prison.
The public was divided into two camps - some believe that the girls were simply mistaken and unknowingly committed a minor offense. It is enough to get them to confess their guilt and punish them as for minor administrative hooliganism. Others are of the opinion that the actions of the participants fall under Article 282, that is, they contributed to "inciting religious hatred and enmity, humiliated and insulted the feelings of believers." And, if they are recognized as capable, then they must be responsible for their actions in accordance with the letter of the law.
At the first court session, it became clear that the court adheres to the second opinion, that is, until it considers the actions of the Pussy Riot group an innocent childish prank. The arrest of the defendants was extended for another six months, until January 2013. Despite numerous actions, signature campaigns and speeches offering to release the girls, the court was relentless and decided that another measure of restraint would be too lenient.
The question of depriving the members of the group "Pussy Riot" of freedom has grown out of the ordinary framework, any decision will now become political. Either the court will release the girls, recognizing the ability of everyone to express their "civic position" in this way, humanism in this case will be a manifestation of the court's weakness. Or he will find them guilty, and the progressive public will start talking about repression and the criminal regime. In any case, even those who first took the punk prayer in the Temple for another joke of the Internet began to take an interest in the case.
