Today the last two imprisoned members of Pussy Riot, the Russian punk band that openly protested Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church, were released under a sudden Amnesty Law. The Russian government claims that the law is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Russia’s post-Communist Constitution, but it’s important to note that the Winter Olympics are near, which takes place in Sochi, Russia.
Below is the music video Pussy Riot made for their song “Punk Prayer – Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away”. This video was a protest performance directed at the Orthodox Church’s support of Vladimir Putin and took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. It was after the release of this music video that three members of the band were imprisoned for religious and political Hooliganism and were all sentenced to two years in prison.
Below you can watch the HBO documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, which follows the radical Russian punk band from the day of their formation (which was on the same day of Putin’s return to power) through the incarceration of its three band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich.
Headphone Nation 