By Leena Nasir
Copyright dailycaller
Russian authorities sentenced members of the band Pussy Riot to prison in absentia on charges related to anti-war content, the band confirmed.
Five members of the Russian punk rock group were sentenced to a range of eight to 13 years by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court, a band representative told Rolling Stone. Maria Alyokhina, Diana Burkot, Taso Pletner, Olga Borisova and Alina Petrova were all sentenced in absentia for performances critical of Russia’s military operations. The news was also reported by Mediazona, an outlet co-founded by Pussy Riot members.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court issued the verdict that stemmed in-part from a December 2022 music video named “Mama, Don’t Watch TV,” according to Mediazona. Authorities claimed the video provided “false information” about the Russian military.
The court also referenced Pussy Riot’s April 2024 performance in Munich, Germany, where a band member allegedly urinated on a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Mediazona.
Legal representatives for the five band members pushed back against the charges, alleging the trial and its outcome were motived by politics.
Burkot issued a statement to Rolling Stone saying she authored the music in “Mama, Don’t Watch TV,” and stands “by every single word, and my anti-war stance is clear.”
She continued, “The full-scale war against Ukraine has been going on for more than three years. And I continue to believe: Ukraine must win, and Putin must face trial in The Hague.”
“The Russian government is a textbook example of patriarchy — the worst kind of abuser: a tyrant, a narcissist, a gaslighter, a toxic manipulator who lives off the destruction of others’ will,” the band member told the outlet.
She encouraged “every person in this world to use their voice.”
“Activism now is needed like daily practice, because only together can we resist and overcome the crisis of democracy,” Burkot added.
Since being sentenced in absentia requires authorities to have the physical ability to make an arrest, Burkot noted that the Russian government has “no access to my physical body.”
She continued, “even if I were in Russia, I would say the same thing: go fuck yourself.”
Authorities arrested Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova in absentia in 2023 and she was placed on Russia’s International Wanted list. (RELATED: Police Charge Band Member Liam O’Hanna From Kneecap With Terrorism Offense: REPORT)
A court sentenced Petya Verzilov to eight years and four months in April 2024 and her name was placed on the list of terrorists in December 2024, according to Rolling Stone.
