Heartland

Probably everybody has heard of the court procedures against them ...

just in case you want to take action ...

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteap ... 1208EAIAR1

Just to add, you can also donate to the fund set up to pay for their legal costs, and to support them and their children. Donations accepted via PayPal and Euro/$ bank transfers:

http://freepussyriot.org/help

Further background information for people not in the know can, as usual, be found at the font of all knowledge.

Thanks for bringing this up, I'm actually vaguely surprised that no-one has done so earlier.

thanks for posting this
Russia is still despotic monarchy
i've been checking trial reports (had been refreshed every 15 minutes) all week long, the black comedy continues next week
in short: the judge acts in totally illegal way every day of process, this is a profanity of trial
just by humble request from pooteen and popes

ormfdmrush wrote:thanks for posting this
Russia is still despotic monarchy
i was checking trial reports (had been refreshed every 15 minutes) all week long, the black comedy continues next week
in short: the judge acts in totally illegal way every day of process, this is a profanity of trial
just by humble request from pooteen and popes

yeah it is, but the world is watching.
In Germany, there's a further petition asking our former chancellor Schröder and his wife to intervene with his "mate" ...

http://www.change.org/de/Petitionen/alt ... tion_alert

@freepussyriot on twitter has had some great courtroom reporting.

They got some airplay here in Dallas last night, on the local community radio station punk/metal show--with an impassioned attack on Putin as a fascist from the host, which was a bit of a surprise (he tends to be pretty apolitical).

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. (Seneca)

State prosecutors in Russia are demanding thee year prison sentences for acting like silly cows in a church. Democratic and free-spirited Blighty gave Charlie Gilmore a year and a half for swinging off a war memorial. What's the difference?

DeWinter wrote:State prosecutors in Russia are demanding thee year prison sentences for acting like silly cows in a church. Democratic and free-spirited Blighty gave Charlie Gilmore a year and a half for swinging off a war memorial. What's the difference?

Not much, why? I didn't think Gilmore deserved his sentence and I don't think Pussy Riot deserve the one they're threatened with.

DeWinter wrote:Democratic and free-spirited Blighty

prosecution allowed to produce withnesses that only saw the incident on video, defence not allowed to produce ones who were actually there. as i understand it. one of our MPs was in court to observe, but not sure in what capacity

lazarus corporation wrote:
Not much, why? I didn't think Gilmore deserved his sentence and I don't think Pussy Riot deserve the one they're threatened with.

Motes and beams, really. Prominent Russian celebrities weren't pontificating when the cradle of democracy, mother of the free etc jailed someone for not damaging a monument in the slightest, nor were Amnesty sticking their oar in. Russia makes little pretence of being a functioning democracy and we do, so why weren't we held to a similar standard?

Guilty

No-one saw that coming did they?

They should be grateful, Master Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin said that they should be sentenced, but not for too long. (they could get 7 years.)

Gilmour was released after four months so it's not as if anybody is going to get the chance to be looking through his eyes.

And just to get all Daily Mail on you I dont think the little bastard should go swinging on War Memorials

I've been reading that Putin will prolly wade in & pardon them just to show the world what a groovy chap he really is.

Have lurked so long I forgot my password and changed too many email addresses.

Entirely agree with the sentiments re the unusually named Pussy Riot but must take issue with DeWinter's and like sentiments comparing this to Gilmour.

Although I could add my voice to Million Voices, leading to I suppose a Million and One Voices, that a Cambridge history student swinging on the cenotaph is reprehensible behaviour (he was under the influence at the time, but that is not in fact a defence under criminal law), young master Gilmour was not prosecuted for the fact of swinging from a war memorial.

Young master Gilmour received a conviction for Violent Disorder, and deservingly so.

The quotation below is from the BBC news website as I do not fancy legal research this early in the morning on a weekend to find something more substantial, however it accords to the facts.

DeWinter - still care to make sure careless comparisons? I must admit, however, I like the Bertie Wooster-esque acquisition of a mannekin's leg.

"He was seen hanging from a Union flag on the Cenotaph and leaping on to the bonnet of a Jaguar - part of a royal convoy.

Gilmour was previously found by a judge at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to have thrown a rubbish bin at the vehicle.

The crown court judge had accepted that the incident at the Cenotaph did not form part of the violent disorder, but described it as "outrageous and deeply offensive behaviour".

During his several-hour-long rampage, Gilmour was also found to have kicked the window of Topshop's flagship store on Oxford Street.

He ended the day in possession of the leg of a mannequin."

Noooo! I've already had to stop reading The Guardian because I'm bored of hearing about Pussy Riot.

I didn't know that about Gilmore. Interesting reading. Throws a rubbish bin and kicks but doesn't kick in, a window while drunk. Usually leads to a night in the cells followed by a caution. At a stretch a court showing and a fine. But a jail sentence, when you can get a suspended sentence for burglary, or even assault in my local newspaper's "In the Courts" section?
I don't think that negates my idea that he was put away for doing something considered outrageous to people's sensibilities rather than harmful. The public wanted him punished for that, and so he was, greatly out of context to his actual crime.


I'm also not sure about Putin pardoning them, either. He must be well aware he's suspected of ordering the deaths of at least three people and the attempted murder of the Georgian head of state. I really don't think he gives a damn what the rest of the world thinks.

DeWinter wrote:I don't think that negates my idea that he was put away for doing something considered outrageous to people's sensibilities rather than harmful. The public wanted him punished for that, and so he was, greatly out of context to his actual crime.

I agree with you (don't die of shock!)

DeWinter wrote:I'm also not sure about Putin pardoning them, either. He must be well aware he's suspected of ordering the deaths of at least three people and the attempted murder of the Georgian head of state. I really don't think he gives a damn what the rest of the world thinks.

Far from a pardon, from what I've read it seems like Putin was pushing the court to give the harshest sentence they could!

DeWinter wrote:
I'm also not sure about Putin pardoning them, either. He must be well aware he's suspected of ordering the deaths of at least three people and the attempted murder of the Georgian head of state. I really don't think he gives a damn what the rest of the world thinks.

Well, given that he's that unhinged, there's no telling what he'll do at all.

Putin's former KGB. 'Nuff said.

markfiend wrote:Putin's former KGB. 'Nuff said.

And the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was allegedly a KGB informer during the Soviet era. All chums together.

markfiend wrote:

DeWinter wrote:I'm also not sure about Putin pardoning them, either. He must be well aware he's suspected of ordering the deaths of at least three people and the attempted murder of the Georgian head of state. I really don't think he gives a damn what the rest of the world thinks.

Far from a pardon, from what I've read it seems like Putin was pushing the court to give the harshest sentence they could!

Well it was completely opposite, he said that they shouldn't be punished hard. That's why 'only' two years.

Bartek wrote:

markfiend wrote:

DeWinter wrote:I'm also not sure about Putin pardoning them, either. He must be well aware he's suspected of ordering the deaths of at least three people and the attempted murder of the Georgian head of state. I really don't think he gives a damn what the rest of the world thinks.

Far from a pardon, from what I've read it seems like Putin was pushing the court to give the harshest sentence they could!

Well it was completely opposite, he said that they shouldn't be punished hard. That's why 'only' two years.

I stand corrected. Thanks Bart