By Michelle Ringuette, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Michelle Ringuette is chief of campaigns and programs at Amnesty International USA. The views expressed are her own.
All eyes were on Moscow this morning as Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, were found guilty and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. For What? Performing a peaceful protest song in a Russian Orthodox Cathedral that lasted less than a minute.
Most agreed that the court wouldn't rule in the women's favor; they themselves had predicted a guilty verdict. Already, Russian authorities had unjustly detained these women, stealing them away from their families and children, and orchestrated a legal process that tiptoed the line on international fair trial standards.
Say what you will about Pussy Riot: this might not be your kind of music. Their actions might offend you. But this doesn't change the fact that freedom of expression, in whatever peaceful form it takes, is a human right, and one on which the protection of other rights rests.
Since assuming office in May, President Vladimir Putin has blatantly rejected the call of hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens. Citizens who, in some of the largest demonstrations the country has ever seen, demanded a more open and tolerant society, an end to a reticent and repressive regime. In response, Putin tightened his fist, signing laws that levy exorbitant fines on unsanctioned public meetings, crack down on dissent and restrict the actions of NGOs that provide vital public services.
Amidst this backdrop of increasing efforts to silence the voice of the people, the message of Pussy Riot has sounded loud and clear.
The world has galvanized behind the band members, from Paul McCartney to Faith No More, Anthony Bourdain to Madonna, to hundreds of thousands of others around the world who have called on Russian authorities to release these women. Why? Because Pussy Riot is much more than a group of punk rockers wearing brightly-colored balaclavas. They are mothers, performers, and activists who want a say in their government and the laws that permeate their lives. They are each and every one of us.
In Russia and beyond, individuals who were never civically active are stopping to discuss the importance of political participation and the institutions which impact their lives. Punk rockers and Orthodox Christian leaders alike, emboldened by the tidal wave of global solidarity and weary of the shrinking space for expression, have said enough is enough.
Though Masha, Nadia and Katya were sentenced to prison today, we won't allow these women to be silenced, Their message will continue to be heard. It wasn't just Pussy Riot on trial; it was freedom of expression and the human rights of everyday citizens in Russia.
As Maria stated in her closing statement, all today's verdict could achieve is to rob these women of a "so-called" freedom. True freedom has been spoken. It lives in the world and will go on living "thanks to openness, with every person who is not indifferent, who hears us in this country... these things will make all of us just a little bit more free. We will see this yet."
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What did the church do to deserve the brunt of Putin's political dissidents? This has nothing to do with the democratic status of a nation, but some punks who wanted to upset nuns and church goers. How will ruining other peoples’ prayer and gathering do anything to change Russian politics? Why is there no mention of the pain and trauma this incident caused the parishioners? These “artist” can do what ever they want to other citizens because they do not like the President? They should has civil liabilities in addition to the well-deserved prison sentence.
the church was a vehicle to give their message the national attention they wanted.
So their "right to protest" trumps the church goers right to worship in peace? Doesn't work that way. you're rights end when they trample on mine.
Obama is the "Adolf Hitler" of Medical Marijuana Patients... NAZI swine is trying to shut down all dispensaries and this criminal will be voted out of office.
Russia has turned its clock back to the era before 1917, when the Russian Orthodox church and and the Romanov dynasty ruled hand in hand. Today the church uses religion as soft power and the state its security apparatus as hard power.
International attention you mean? I do not believe they care about national one!
Whether or not religion is state-supported, gives you no right to march in and desecrate it.
Yes, Freedom of expression falls hand and hand with freedom of Religion. The negative replies to your message need to search their souls. God moves in mysterious ways and this is Him moving thru the singers. Freedom for Russia gives an abundant life for their people which is scriptural to have an abundant life.
churches are no more than a cultist den of government and human manipulation, swindlers and hypocrites. All religions are. i couldnt think of a better place to rock out and spread the word of reallity, but to a group of brain washed, ignorant people.
Lucinda = off-topic whack job.
joeshmowyaknow that may be, but so is your commie propaganda. every body has a right to their own beliefs.
I would suggest that Churches retain adequate security to assist punks in coming to understand that our worship services are not a platform for them to project their punkdom.
Simple.
The political message of free speech is also for the parishioners. They should grow a thicker skin and stand in solidarity with these girls. I guess the dumb parishioners would be more happy with Pakistani styled blasphemy laws.
So, how many years do you get in prison in Russia for interrupting a movie for 5 minutes?
I've come across many people who would be major felons if they lived there.
SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE AGREE WITH THESE IDIOTS, NEXT TIME THEY PLAY (2 YEARS FROM NOW) HOW ABOUT THE PARISHIONERS RUN UP ON STAGE AND DISRUPT THEM WHEN AND WHERE EVER THEY PLAY. BET THAT WOULD GO OVER BIG WITH THEIR FANS. HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD HANDLE THAT? LIKE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS.
Pain and trauma?!? your 'parishioners' were interrupted for about 5 minutes.
You think that's worth 2 years in a Russian pokey? Glad I don't subscribe to YOUR religion. Mind telling me what it is? I want to be certain I never allow anyone of that faith to ever speak to me about religion.
Why was the church targeted? Because the Russian Orthodox church has become just another of Putin's stooges. They became a valid POLITICAL protest target when the church decided to get into politics and back Putin. What was it the church leader said, that 'Putin was a gift from God' or some such? At that moment the church opened itself up to political protest in my opinion.
Whether or not the Orthodox Church supports Putin or not, they are not public property in the same way that a government facility is. I may not like what a particular church is doing, and I have a right to protest against them. I don't, however, have the right to turn their worship space into the pulpit of my protest.
Considering the band's history, they were looking to get arrested (They had been arrested for protest before). They got what they wanted.
MarylandBill, you're incorrect.
This particular church building is the property of the Moscow city government, thus, a piece of public property.
I suppose if I go in your home for 5 minutes uninvited you will just say it's ok? First as a very frequent visitor to Russia and married to a Russian woman, the orthodox church is very important to a huge percentage of russians. Also for a woman to enter the church it is a strong custom to cover her hair with a scarf. the Orthodox church is very formal and at least to the churches I have been to there is constant activity at the alter area. You cannot compare this to a baptist church or even a catholic church. By entering they insulted everyone there, and disrupted their service. What right do they have to do this? They trespassed and violated the rights of perhaps many hundreds of people.. They wanted attention they got it. This has nothing to do about Putin, but everything to do about disrespect for the majority of people, and disrespect for the church. I do not believe in God, so do not even go there, but I do believe in respecting the rights of others and these punks did all the disrespecting they can do. Perhaps in the US if we punished this kind of behavior we might find our society would benefit as the amount of disrespect here is shameful.
This was not their first protest. There had been a handful of similar impromptu concerts by these girls in traffic, grocery store and other places. And they had been warned to knock it off. Justice was served.
@ Addison-So for "disrespecting" churchgoers and "disrupting" a single service for all of 5 minutes, they deserve 2 years in jail? I just love how all you pious Jesus worshipers consider your rights inviolate, but everyone else's subject to your interpretation. At worst they deserved a slap on the wrist and an admonishment not to do it again. You are a perfect example as to why religion should be abolished in a free democracy. You are no better than the worst fascist dictator.
You shouldn't get two years for disrespecting somone.
Thank you, Dave, for accurately describing the church's role in this incident. The "morality" cloud is used to suppress people's rights in Russia.
Mike, to your comment that 2 years might be too harsh for "insulting people." It's not. If you don't impose this penalty, how do you protect the public of such deliberate insults from all other sorts of punks and extremists? This sentencing makes sure that a group of punks can't just crash someone's prayer, can't deliberately insult hundreds of people in a rather cruel way, and then get a wrist slap.
10 years for smoking marijauna which does not harm any one is also not fair. so you know waht suck on it. If you did something wrong suffer the consequenses else dont do it.
Look at Fred Phelps. His right to protest funerals (at CHURCHES) has been upheld in US Federal court as protected speech. And the families and churchgoers can certainly hear his followers and their offensive chants.
These women are 100% Political Prisoners. They are in prison because they dared say something unflattering about the Great Putin. Not because they interrupted a chuch service.
If that were the cause, a valid penalty would maybe be 40 hours of community service. But not in the new Super-Nationalist Russia! Putin rules with an Iron Fist, and his naysayers rot in prison!
Cole, it's not about them personally but about the lack of basic freedom of expression that lacks.
My religion should not matter. But I do not have one. Thanks for your distraction from the abuse of rights of thers
" Why is there no mention of the pain and trauma this incident caused the parishioners?"
When did Russians become pus sies?
"Pain and Trauma caused to the parishioners?!" They sang a song for a literal minute. You make is sound like they walked in there and physically exposed themselves! Get over your misplaced self-righteous, judgmental indignation. Two years imprisonment is grossly disproportionate to the "crime". When has singing/playing a song been a crime? ( I can see that since we're talking about Russia) If they walked in my house sang a song and left they would not receive 2 years imprisonment.
I wonder If the people that are in agreement with this sentence are from the U.S. if so, then I cry for the pseudo-freedom I was raised to at least pretend that I have!
Please note that Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Orthodox Church in Russia, has very strong ties to Vladimir Putin, as a matter of fact, he has called Mr. Putin, a former KGB agent, a gift from God. The Orthodox Church publicly endorses Mr. Putin. Now you know why.
Still doesn't give them the right to trespass and disrupt someone else's rights
So was he there? That is just nonsence: they did not go there because of Kirill and Putin! You just repeating some crap that you have been told by your liberal friends!
You want your freedom and rights respected? Why do you deny those of your fellow citizens?
Liberal apologists for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt would deny Christians to participate in any politics even in their own countries. The Orthodox Church does not have that power, but there are Orthodox believers in Russia's politics. And there SHOULD be. That is their right, even though you probably want them all murdered.
Hobo – Take off the tinfoil helmet & step away from the Kool-Aid.
Same to you cogito.
What if this riotous bunch pulled this stunt in a mosque? Then what? Beheading, as is the custom? Or perhaps stoning?
This was not a protest outside or near the church where arresting, prosecuting and sentencing them for what they did would offend most anyone's sensibilities. It was particularly offensive given where in the church they did what they did.
Where's CNN's coverage of the crucifixion of Christians and others in Egypt? The beheadings of Christians as "apostates" in Tunisia? That's all fine because, what, its an Islamo-Nazi-Mob masquerading in CNN's newsroom as fledgling "democracy" in the vaunted Arab Spring? Jefferson would be proud
your retarded dude...
An you can't spell "you're".
Pain and trauma to the parishioners?!!! Are you kidding me?! You shouldn't get to imprison people just because you feel icky for a few minutes! Get a life! :-{P}
Ok, maybe they should come to YOUR HOUSE univited and do the same thing, then let's see how you feel about that? Oh, after all they have freedom of speech, right?
IIcky? That was inflammatory language, open provocation, and BULLYING. Read on (from lifesitenews):
IIn addition to their mockery of Orthodox worship, the girls derided the “Black robe, golden epaulettes,” of Orthodox clergy, and mocked the “crawling and bowing” of the parishioners. They then added a barb against the Orthodox Church’s defense of public morality, stating, “The ghost of freedom is in heaven, Gay pride sent to Siberia in chains.”
“The head of the KGB is their chief saint,” continue the girls, in reference to Putin’s former position under the Soviet regime.
They then sing a stanza associating the sacred with feces, followed by another stanza objecting to perceived support of the Putin administration by leaders of Orthodoxy, then another stating “Patriarch Gundyaev believes in Putin,” adding “B**ch, you better believe in God.”
@Agapatos–yeah, so what? If you think that they deserve 2 years in jail for insulting Putin, why don't you move to Russia? I'm sure you will be very happy. The only way they deserve jail time is if they actually set the church on fire. Singing some insulting lyrics just proves to me that the truth is too hard for Putin and his little soldiers to swallow.
In Russia they still defend the right of believers to worship undisturbed by publicity seeking punks.
Nice to see.
it was 40 seconds people and three women, and I think they were asking mother Russia to free them from Putin~!
Cole, I never respond on web sites but your utter ignorance has prompted me. Offence does not justify the abridgment of free speech. And just in case your a Christian, lets not forget that according to the bible Jesus was tortured and executed for protesting in a temple! Go read a book you caveman.
Christ didn't use profanity nor flash his private parts when doing all that "protesting" as you call it. Quit twisting history to suit your point of view, you blasphemy supporter!
No one is saying that there shouldn't be some sort of punishment for playing a one-minute song in the church uninvited. But two years in prison goes waaaaaay beyond what would be considered reasonable in the United States and other western nations. It's political.
Also, SO interesting how fast Christians are willing to side with (former) communists.......
lolololol this literally put a smile on my face shah have you ever read the bible? well let me enlighten your tiny brain, Jesus was not arrested and crucified for rebelling a temple he was actually taken and crucified for peacefully spreading his beliefs and gathering a very large crowd of followers, which scared the leaders and high priests of the time and in order to keep the power to themselves they decided to crucify him. im pretty sure you're the caveman. Freedom of speech needs to have some boundaries as well. no one would have taken away their freedom of speech and expression if it occured at a different place but since this happened at a church it is no long the acceptable way of expressing your feelings. What they did was wrong but the punishment was right
@LaaDeeDaa: How do you know? Maybe he was walking around pulling his robe up while yelling at people to "Go F thineself!" After all, we do know that he was delusional so insanity may have been involved as well.
Putin is the real p u s s y here.
Leif, why don't you go tell Putin that? Allow me to answer... He would kick your butt, that's why.
Hi Kenton. That is exactly my point. He is a coward who is afraid of a few protestors. He is just the latest Russian Czar, and Russian "democracy" is a farce.
All that few protestors was paid by US Government
You are coming off a bit Russian Cole. Remember Russia is still the enemy.
Russia is not the enemy. Welcome to the real world. These women had been repeatedly been told to stop doing this in public. They did it knowing the consequences, and no one is shocked they got in trouble for doing what they were told not to do. If you don't want to go to jail, stop breaking the law. It's just that simple.
You are coming off a bit Russian Cole! Remember Russia is still the enemy.
These Broads needed to be taught a lesson. Some folks take "freedom" too far. That's America's problem now. Young thugs running amuk a culture of repugnant degeneration. Madonna and Paul Maccartney upset !! Those dope smoking freaks are there to cheerlead every degenerate act that has lead to the continual moral decay of America. Two years harsh, let them do six months to learn some manners.
Madonna made her money off blasphemy, disrespect and shock value, so it doesn't surprise me that she would consider those "musicians" as sisters under the skin, but I am disappointed that Sir Paul would support them as well. Seems like no one gets it, that these women went INSIDE OF A CHURCH and disrepected it! If they want to protest Putin, then go to the Kremlin and do it. Keep the protests out of the church. Not the appropriate place. Even movie theatres, bars and taverns have expected codes of conducts and people get kicked out of those too. Your freedoms end at the end of your nose! Everyone likes to talk about freedom and rights, but what about taking personal responsibility? No one seems want to do that. What a selfish world we live in!
You can kick someone off of private property if they are saying something that the owner doesn't like. But they can't be imprisoned or fined for it. That is what free speech is. Evidently they don't have free speech in Russia. I believe in free speech... even your right to disparage it.
@ Ladeeda–OOOOOHHH! They went INSIDE OF A CHURCH! HOW TERRIBLE! I agree, nobody should be going inside of churches, ever. It apparently leads to the complete inability to think for oneself.
Even if they stripped naked and performed a satanic ritual in the altar, they still didn't deserve 2 years in jail.
The video was on you tube for a while , may still be. It was not just the song, it was the clothes, or lack of worn in the Orthodox church during a service...chiffon, lime green in color, that did not cover their female genitals ( hence their band name from the slang ) and balaclavas..which are banned under Russia's terrorism laws.....
Cole, you work in the Russian government. Lackey.
They only picked the church because they knew they would call attention to themselves. Yeah, they got attention alright...but the wrong kind of attention. Those "musicians" with the vulgar name should be grateful they only got two years! It could've much longer!
Well put, LaaDeeDaa. Thank you.
Agreed. The girls are definitely cute but they should have known better and... in the USA they could have been similarly sentenced for "hate crimes".
Yes I agree for thr USA but this is NOT the USA and Russia falling into a dictatorship. Wake up! God has moved against this un holy religion.
About 8 years ago a leading Russian textile firm wanted to employ me as a merhandising manager. They invited me over for a job interview. They were recruiting foreigners for senior positions althoght there capital for investment; the education of their young generation and their technology was better than most EU countries. What was missing – as far as the Owner of the co was concerned- was that the Russian people lacked the courage for taking the initiative hence innovation. Even a 3-pack diapers was a marketing concept they did not think about. When you think of the pressure they lived under for many decades you may understand that only one generation is not enough to open up the society of Russia. Religion is one of the issues they were deprived of. And extreem provocation in any religion can still be a sensitive subject too much in an already rapidly changing society. Artists are characteristicly free of soul and this talent of them keeps any society moving however there are tender areas in all societies that must be protected by the chosen government. Try to keep the recent history in mind and feel emphaty rather than commenting on Russian events from a settled western political view. In Russian streets you see more ridiculously expensive cars than most cities. This is also the result of their long deprivation. Please try to have a more flexible perspective for every issue at hand.
The Russian Orthodox Church is to Putin what Fundamentalist Christians in the US are to the GOP; when religion turns itself into a political machine, it becomes (quite properly) a political target.
If anyone turns anything into a weapon (however sacret it is) he/she place it on the common table and opens it up for counter-action. But Greg the World is going through this forced-trial anyhow. It is natural that it has some reflections around the world and overall human culture.
you might find that they were protesting the fact that the patriarch was using his position of power to influence the decisions of the voting public...blablabla...separation of church and state...blablabla.
Or maybe they're just a couple punks who want to ruin other peoples’ prayer and gathering.
Who knows?
You are a communist.
You obviously know nothing about Russian politics. This whole action was a protest against the "unholy" alliance between Putin and the Russian Orthodox church. Russian priests are outside of law in Russia, they are a protected class, just like bureaucrats, policemen, or anyone else that Putin's government relies on to function and spread propaganda. Try to take a priest to court in Russia and you will see how far you get. In return for Putin's patronage the church is practically anointing Putin to rule Russia like a tzar, giving him almost a sacred status. The church is convincing the populace (at least those unenlightened enough to believe such things) that there is no choice for Mother Russia but Putin because Putin's power is from God and not a result of dirty election machinations and of intimidation of the opposition. The priests sold their souls for money and power. That is why the girls did it in the church. Get it through your heads already.
Cole, I agree with you. Freedom of speech comes with responsbilities......not by hurting other people's feelings or creating mischief in a place of worship!
The Russian Orthodox Church has been a huge supporter of Putin since 2000. They go hand-in-hand with supporting his policies and repression.
Religious people also have right to take part in politics and support whoever they wish to........why people have beef with those (in this case Orthodox Christians) who wish to support Putin? He is a politician and he needs support of Orthodox Christians and others to get elected so what's wrong with that? Don't we have freedom to support or vote for any political party or person we want in the west? Sure we do........we voted twice Bush Jr. and his neocons cronies! And they were supported by bible belt (conservative Christians) of USA!!! Russian Orthodox Christian, by anology, also have right to whoever they wish to support and vote! But the problem is that what we do is always right and what Russia or non-western countries do is wrong and we label them corrupt, dictators, anti-democratic and blah...blah!!!
The song was performed on top of the cathedral as I saw in a pic.
You are very close to the point. Anarchists believe they can interpoise themselves on others in their churches, homes, hospitals, or anywhere they choose. They see the law only as something to give them freedom to do as they please at the expense of others. Their sentence was too light for their anarchy.
Freedom of expression falls hand and hand with freedom of Religion. You need to search your soul, God moves in mysterious ways and this is Him moving thru the singers. Freedom for Russia gives an abundant life for their people which is scriptural to have an abundant life
The T-shirt with the "No Pasaran" should have answered your questions. This is the war cry of the Communist/Republican Spanish Civil War.
They screwed up... they should be punished... Two years is overkill... They made the mistake the LEFTIES make in this country... they think protest is about offending other people and interfering with their lives... That is not protest as the Founding Fathers thought of it... There are rules to protesting in a civil society. You want to use the public square you get a permit. Have your rally, say what you want, but don’t screw with other people just because they ignore you or don’t believe in your cause… It is not fair to other people that they cannot get to work, cannot run their business, cannot pick up their children from school... BUT Lefties don't care... they are unhappy so you have to suffer...
You got it as far as the Lefties here in America. They should read up on this very situation in Russia, simply because they really have no idea how free they are here, and what they will actually give up if they continue to support an overgrown government with power hungry people in it.
We will look and become more like Russia than they realize.
The political message of free speech was for all Russians, including the parishioners. The parishioners should grow a thicker skin if they are going to continue to be so incredibly involved in government.
Cole, Agreed. If I wanted to protest a restaurant in the USA, I stand outside and protest. If I enter the restaurant and scream violent obscenities at the owner and traumatize its patrons, then I stand to be arrested. There are laws against what these girls did in both the USA and Europe.
They were not in the public square, instead they entered private property and screamed obscenities at the people, thereby trampling on their rights. Freedom of expression does not give them the right to do this in any country.
well said
Thank you, Cole. That was well stated and true, too.
Cole, you are an idiot.
Hearing a song does not violate your rights.
Look at Fred Phelps. His right to protest funerals (at churches) has been upheld in US Federal court as protected speech. And the families and churchgoers can certainly hear his followers and their offensive chants.
These women are 100% Political Prisoners. They are in prison because they dared say something unflattering about the Great Putin. If you think anything else, your are helplessly naive.
protected speech upheld by an idiot of a judge with no morals, and no bal$ls to stand up for the fallen soldiers who protect his sorry a$$ everyday.
The church is the state church and is in cahoots with putin. I guess you didn't see the priest kiss putin's ring. He was either so cowed by him or putting on a demonstration to the cameras to show the public what was going on.
Fareed the plagariser once again shows that he knows nothing about the law of other countries, as what they do is their own business, no his. With such bravado on his part why does he not travel to Moscow and spew his idiosity there and see what happens.
Articles like this help keep human rights down. There is no travesty here with the sentence.
These immature, punk-trash girls (yes girls, they are not women) interrupt others so they can bump their gums instead of doing something constructive and worthwhile.
i agree, im sure there was another place for them to act like idots other then the church.
ГРИНГОСЫ – ПОШЛИ НА ХУЙ СУКИ!!!
ХУЙНЯ, ГРИНГОСЫ СВИНЬИ. ПИДАРЫ
Evidently Putin can't stand criticism – must have an extreme ego problem. What a wussy!
What's the matter with Russians – can't they just agree to disagree. Always gotta be a "Alpha" whatever.
No wonder their country is falling apart. They just can't be civil to one another.
haha.So unlike all those Americans who issue death threats against those blaspheming their gods and idols on youtube. Thats a whole different story after all – someones just waltzing into youtube and just saying I don't much like soandso then American lovers having no other choice and every right to hate and kill the infidel kaffirs just wanting to stir things up, eh
Putin should pardon them. He seem like a pragmatic but fair leader. It was such a minor offense, if that. There is no need for totalitarianism in Russia. Russians should be able to express their opinions. At most they should be ordered to perfom some community service at that church. I think US State needs to get involved.
Pragmatic and fair? Which Putin are you talking about, we are talking about Vladamir Putin, the elected dictator or Russia. Who were you talking about?
Franz must be talking about the cookie-baker bunny Vlad from the Horton Hears a Who movie.
In fairness, Putin did ask the courts to go easy on them. He has a chance to stand up and say '2 years is ridiculous, the weeks they've served through the trial are enough, let them go'. He can still intervene and do the right here.
Putin or the Russia goverment could care less what you or everyone else thinks, you can't do anything about it, Pres.Obama interjected himself into the discussion by saying the sentence is harsh, so after the Pres. has the message related to Putin " AFTER THE ELECTION I HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY" what will that mean to US citizens.
A country that has to jail three young girls for political speech is not a free or fair country. It is a gov't not long for this world.
Actually, they got such a heavy sentence because their "music" sucks. At least now they'll have more time to reherse!
@Cole – you're an idiot. Your village has been looking for you. Go back home – they need you.
When you cannot validate your opinion with fact, stoop to insult. Good thing I know I am right.
The fact that you don't understand what freedom is?
Please for God's sake leave the Russians alone.
haven't the Americans made enough mess elsewhere.
It is an independent nations internal issue, Russians can handle it.
Is Human Rights the main or there are ulterior motives ,lets get that straight first.
And did anyone raise the issue of the prevalent Gun Culture or the senseless killings , NO. Or the way arm twisting of the Wikki taking place. NO again.
Leave it for the Ruskies to sort it out.
Russia and Putin personally oppose new US rocket systems being placed in Europe because it upsets existing balance. They should be panished for that! So here goes current anti-Russian campaign!
Talking about independent unbiased mass media: what a joke!
I totally agree! why must everyone be in everyone else's business??
Nice! Nazdarovya or the equivalent
Please do watch the Movie called "Cnadian Bacon" loads of laught for you.
Nishant, America is preparing a Syrian style "Russian Spring" but this time they are going to bring regime change with the help of punk rockers lead by Madonna and Paul McCartney instead conventional fighters like mujahedins, arabs or Islamists etc......
Huh?. He has a right to his own opinion. Your attack is not cool. the verdict was fair. 2 years was not.
Actually a few years digging turnips in Siberia might help the little feminazis grow up.
You want to send political protesters to a Gulag for a prank/protest?
Read some Solzhenitsyn then ask who's side you'd have been on in the cold war. If this were 1965, you sound just about ready to defect to old USSR. But since this is 2012 you just sound like an uneducated tough talking blow hard. When did these girls become 'feminazis'? You have a problem with women? Your Mommy didn't hug you enough as a child or what?
It was a woman judge that gave those musicians the sentence.
If it was 1965 nobody outside of Russia would have heard and these girls would be dead, so things have improved and jail time is better than grave time.
Of all the people in the world who are truly suffering from injustice, we concentrate on a group like these ladies who showed a total lack of consideration of others?
Trespassing into a church and interrupting service with a disrespectful "punk rock protest" does not equate to "freedom of expression" and will never be peddled as such if it happened somewhere else and did not serve political purpose of perpetuating Russia's image as totalitarian state (which it is not). If Occupy protesters staged a blasphemous display in a middle of a church service here in the US they would be tried in a similar manner. And if anyone ever was dumb enough to go into a mosque and do this they would likely not live past that hour LOL whatever let them whine
In the US if they did this in a church, they would be arrested, yes. For disturbing the peace, trespassing and possibly unlawful gathering in a public place, NOT a blasphemous act.
Remember, we do have a little thing in the US called freedom of religion. You can't arrest someone for a blasphemous act here.
Since reading comprehension is not one of your strengths I will clarify: They were arrested for trespassing into a church and sabotaging a service. The blasphemy is an aggravating factor that may influence court to view these actions as hate driven. Simple as that. In the USofA there would be a series of charges they would face, up to felony intimidation..
Resisting arrest?
Most countries in the West have blasphemy laws. Britain does, even Russia's neighbor Finland does, and they go much further than Russia's.
There were no service at all. It happened early on a weekday morning, the church was almost empty.Please don't fantasize.
In a Russian Orthodox church outside of Lithrugy there is some form of service happening most of the time and people come in at free will to pray. Please don't talk about things you do not know. What they did was an act of vandalism and display of gross disrespect for others' religious expression by trespassing into their place of service and playing their liberal sissy punk rock dribble showing off their asses. If they did it outside in front of the church they would have simply been asked to leave at some point (unless they had a permit of course).
It still doesn't make it Ok.
//In a Russian Orthodox church outside of Lithrugy there is some form of service // And what type of services even expect of Liturgy can be in a Christian Church? Can you enlighten us? Since Contemporary Russian Orthodox Church was founded in 1943 by Stalin it should be a KGB meeting!
do you people know anything about the Russian Orthodox Church? no, it was not founded by Stalin – this is THE church that has been in existence, even before the Catholic Church.
You are so full of hate! If you said anything like that about Jews I guess that would make you a racist. But if you are a Jew yourself and you say that against Russians: what that makes you? A liberal probably?
Wow, what an ignorant person. Stalin did NOT "found" the Orthodox Church. In fact, he was an athiest, an ENEMY of the Church. He was responsible for killing thousands of Orthodox priests and nuns and laypeople! The REAL Orthodox church goes back thousands of years! Why don't you try learning more about something before you spout hateful nonsense?
VERY well said. I could not agree more.
My supportive comment was for Double standard much, by the way.
Its impossible to consider jews as a race.Putins Christian revolution will not allow zionists to manipulate cults into disrespecting Cathedrals in order to bait Putins Government.The greatest fear these types have is in the power of the church returning as it was under their Royal family.Rothschild and co will never again manipulate the Russian people.God bless Russia and God save America and Britain from the greed of masonic zionism.
The venue alone was the wrong place. I did not find that acceptable.
IF they pulled this same stunt in a public place, that was not a church, but say in a park or something and were still arrested then yes it was about the insult towards Putin and free speech suppression of a leader.
These "artists" take after Madonna. Once Madonna became a has-been, she started flashing private parts. No respect for the greater good.
Because, like the used vehicle, She got v.high Mileage.
Too many Tongues, Fingers and Toys played in it.
Mostly, those who looks ugly, have nice one 8nside.
The next thing you know these crazy disrespectful terrorist feminazi's will be tossing tea into some harbor.
Sorry baby, but that makes no sense. Get a history book and figure out which side's which.
So now offending behavior in a church is called "Performing a peaceful protest song".
Hooligans that insult the prayers called heroes.
This trial really matters as it should open people’s eyes to what filth is coming to the world under the cover of freedom and democracy. People’s eyes should open that so called free press, and human right organizations including Amnesty International are just the tools in this dirty game.
Its all politics of controlling public opinion. Terrorists that blow up Syrian parliament are also known as "freedom fighters" or "rebels" since it serves our political purposes, etc. Chechen terrarists (a small fraction of an otherwise good people that want to live in peace) that choose to blow up apartment buildings, hospitals and subway trains are known as "separatists" while being supplied from Afghanistan via NATO controlled Georgia which gives them free passage... list goes on
Fareed, where can you be detained for a peaceful protest if you are x amount of square feet of a politically protected individual? Where can you be marked as an enemy combatant, killed, or detained indefinately, for any or no reason whatsoever? The good ol U S of A. Now, if I went in a church/mosque/synagogue with a guitar and started spouting out loud music here what would happen? Probably not two years of prison but that could depend on a lot of factors. Was I disturbing the peace, did I have a permit for a public performance, was I asked to leave by the owner/propritor, or by the police? They deserved to be arrested, you're making an issue out of this because its Russia. To paraphrase the bible, American media needs to stop worrying about the speck in its neighbor's eye, and worry about the plank in its own. Our freedoms are being striped away at an alarming rate.
in the North Caucasus they kill people even without calling them enemy combatant and even people who has no weapon and even women. If you have no idea what happens in other country than better write your comments in your notebook...
Did you read a recent article on CNN about Chechen terrorists detained in Spain? Are those the people you are concerned about?
Wonder what happened to the millions of non-Muslims who lived in the North Caucasus before the Islamists came in...
You are heartless and Mindless disease Jewish.
Your Family runaway from Dr. Hitler, to seek shelters in US.
Stop being jealous and evil. Be human. Because of some bad apple jew, most of them has been painted.
Get-out of hate!
It doesn't matter since it turns out that desecrating religious artifacts has normally been punished by a slap on the wrist in Russia. That means the judge was probably also considering the circus being made in the Western media and chose a more severe punishment. Ironically Putin and the Orthodox Church have both asked for less severe punishment.
Anyway, the other day some activists cut down a crucifix in the Ukraine in support of PR. The cross was erected there as an anti-Stalin memorial. There is a chance the mainstream media is miscalculating by supporting people trying to create an anti-Christian pogrom in Eastern Europe. If Obama associates with cross destroyers and church desecrators in other countries he will wake up the evangelicals in the USA. There was a time when the likes of Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky were welcome in the cafes of Vienna and London because they were anti-Russian, and certain American bankers (Jacob Schiff) even funded the first of the five year plans. Are the mistakes of the past being repeated?
Is there any truth to what Ms. Ringuette writes here. It's a series of twisted lies with no background or appreciation for the Orthodox perspective. I guess that doesn't matter to those who use human rights to achieve various political agendas. I don't know if two years was warranted; I prefer forgiveness, but I am glad to see Russia ( even with its shaky court system) got this one right in standing for human values versus "alleged" human rights.
If you know Russia, you know they are not a rock band. But they are punks – not to confused with artists. Russia has a great tradition of anti-establishment artists (many of whom have been Orthodox believers) and none would ever have acted like these disrespectful women who were clearly paid by somebody to stage this event that continually generates so much media coverage in non-Orthodox countries at the same the Muslim world decends into one Islamic fascist paradise.
It was not a "peaceful protest" to espouse such filthy language in a house of spirituality and to physically resist arrest (did any of you human rights morons watch the video?)
It ceased to be "freedom of expression" when it took place so close to the alter that for Orthodox is a sacred, holy place and where the body and blood of Christ are served to the faithful.
And she has the ignorance to ask "For What?"
Respect for other humans and their rights and beliefs is a two way street. Apparently, our "punk-rockers" and Miss Ringuette neglect this fact.
GREAT comment!
JMC: thanks for stating that!
It saddens me to see so many people here being completely brainwashed and blinded by their hatred!
HAHAHAHAHAHASAYSHAHAHAHAHAMOSLEMHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I am delighted to see this irreverent cult going to gaol,the zionist media are doing their best wordlwide to show Putin in a bad light.The Christian revolution in Russia has them trembling in their boots.I truely believe that a Christian Russia will benefit the world The Governments of the united States of America and Britain have been stooged by masonic zionism for far too long,Russians are well aware of the Rothschilds and their minions also their hand in the mass murder of the Royal family and 66 million countrymen ,women and children,there will never be another murder campaign,Putin cannot be bought .God bless Russia and God have mercy on Britain and the USA if Romney is elected President because war will be declared on Iran shortly after by Israel and they own us all through the banks so we will do Israels bidding.I stand with Putin against the inevitable takeover by red China.
well said
very wise words. the author of the article does not seem to know what she i talking about. i dont understand why she has to make this incident seem like a cute and innocent childish joke, while millions of russians believers very hurt and insulted. The more i think about this the more i feel like there is something more to the story, something like propaganda set up by foreign countries to hight the "totalitarian regime" , while quite frankly does not exist, and this is coming from someone who just returned from a two month vacation in russia.
Free expression is only a right that one achieves through force of arms.
They should have went into the church, shoot people and then sing their obscene song! Right....
This is what happens when there is not seperation of church and state. People go to jail for words.
The church and people there have the same rights as anybody else and they should expect that the state will protect their rights. The same thing would happen if somebody staged anything similar in US and any other "free" country: if you do not realise that it only shows how ignorant of your own country and your own law you are!
Similar would happen in ANY OTHER COUNTRY? You mean TWO YEARS prison for everybody disrupting a church service ? Worst is that you are probably so ignorant that you believe in that. I have heard that many people under Stalin sincerely believed that in America things were even much worse. Supporters of fascist regimes like you always refuse to believe that personal freedom exists anywhere.
Correction, they were not put in jail because of their words it was because of their disrespectful and disgusting actions. and the punishment is well deserved. plus it will keep other hooligans form doing something this stupid as well.
for those that complain about the church being the location, the church is actively participating in politics. this is nothing new. governments have used religion as a control mechanism for years.
All religions are made up...that is fact...2 years in jail is insane.... All people supporting the punishment should be ashamed... sheeple following the masses.... Putin is a commi dictatot
That is not about religion silly: that is about people who have their rights and are free to practice it without somebody rushing in their church and shouting some obscenities! That is all!
I guess if a group of people just comes into your house and starts singing something agressive totally ignoring your protests: you may just shoot them?
You have no idea lady
You are clearly biased. Your comment is meaningless.
And you are clearly unbiased???...give me a break.
Your soapbox is just as tall as anyone else's here LaaDeeDaa.
I'm curious what the full (real) story is on this. I've read that it was a blatant "free speech" issue to the idea that the girls basically went into a church (uninvited), basically started a flash-mob type concert full of raucous speech, and didn't leave when asked. I don't believe that freedom of speech should be inhibited, but if they flat-out trespassed and effectively defiled the church without any sort of permission to be there, then I think they got what they deserve.
I think you put it rather softly but pretty much to the point. The church was not the publick property, they were not invited and their "concert" was extremely offencive – not so much for the Putin, who was not even there, for for the people who came for totally different purpose and did not want to have anything to do with that group.
Well i find that the charge of temporarily interrupting a "childrens magic show" does not warrant two years in jail....
No. Disrespecting a church warrants a lot more. Those women should be happy they only got 2 years. There were men in the past who spent half their lives in Sibera for less!
...and you say that as if it was a good thing??
I don't know the whole story nor do I follow Russian politics. I do come from an Orthodox Christian country though (Greece), where the church has A LOT of political power it shouldn't have. And I know that if they were in Greece they would be arrested and found guilty too -not only for tresspassing and disruption of peace, but also blasphemy (in Greece, a not-very-secular-country, cursing god or doing anything that can be considered blasphemy is punishable in court).
That being said, they have already been held into custody, and 2 years of prison for an act that lasted 5 minutes and in which nobody was injured or harmed, is way too harsh. Even in Greece, there's no way they would have been treated this way.
Wanting to bring back punishments from the Stalin era is not exactly smart (politically and socially speaking) nor very Christian either.
LaaDeeDaa, coming from a religion that preaches love and forgiveness, you sure have a lot of hate in you.
I don't see that this is a protected speech issue, or a human right violation. In the USA, if I force myself onto private property where I'm not welcome and start a disturbance, particularly a profane one, I can expect to face the legal system with potential jail time.
I didn't hear that they forced their way in. It's a church, they probably walked in.
First they came for the Communists
I did not speak out because I was not communist
Then they came for the trade unionists
I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the jews
I did not speak out because I was not a jew
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Oh not again!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHTRUTHHAHAHAHHAHURSTSHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHADONTHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAITHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Right on, best comment I read here today. You get it.
Athiest Jews created Communism and that cost the lives of 66 million Russians.Americas Wall street masonic jewish bankers funded the Russian revolution aswel as sent trained agitators,spies and explosives experts.
That's were the jews success came from. Lies, murders, espionage, stilling others technologies and secret formulas, etc.
Jewish has no oil or gold produçtions. They are good on conspiracies and snitches.
I was there but I did not speak out because I was not ef liberal!
And I am doing great since then!
If they were trespassing, causing a disturbance, give them a fine of $25 and get over it , but they embarrassed the head dictator , proof communism is still alive in what could be a great country
That is not the first time, they have been fined before many times, and they resisted the arrest: I guess that amounts to more than 25 buks in US.
it might amount to more than 25 bucks but it will never amount to 2 years in jail.
So you are upset about the term. So what?
@ Andrey, you are defending a former communist KGB spy and his cohorts and I'm liberal? LOL
Communists, liberals: you are all the same. You hate each other because you are so similar. Did not you notice?
You are sooooo ignorant, it makes me and Mitt Romney laugh
Time to crack a book & learn something about comparative political systems, Aubrey.
Time for you to learn some humility bigmouths!
Soon as you crack that book & glean a clue from it, I'll get right on it.
The last time I looked Mr. Putin wasn't on the ballot in the U.S.. Don't we have enough going on here that we should be concentrating on?
"Judge Marina Syrova said in her verdict that the three band members 'committed hooliganism driven by religious hatred' and offended religious believers.: - The religious nuts in this world, especially the U.S., are getting crazier by the day. We need to rid society of this dangerous vermin. The Russian Orthodox cult is a bigoted cesspool that needs to be wiped off the face of the Earth.
Atheists have not learned from their crimes of the 20th century. Communism and Nazism were both atheist ideologies.
Exactly
There is no such thing as a Atheist Ideology.
ORIGINAL INTRUSION VIDEO HERE:
youtube.com/watch?v=grEBLskpDWQ
7)PU555Y RIOT – another weird unauthorized red square performance.
http://ma-zaika.RU/post202301280
P****sy Riot has never written a song, nor have they recorded any music. They are a movement, not a band. Interestingly enough, they are most likely funded by a US pro-Democracy group, which is fomenting regime change in Russia. I am not a fan of Putin, but the U.S. needs to stop meddling in other countries affairs.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/118287.html
Masonic zionism is suckering the world into hating Putin,their world media is validating anti Christian feelings.
I actually disagree with the author (Jason) of this article. Freedom of speech cannot infringe on private property and excuse trespassing. They broke the law and should face the punishment – a small fine. What is insane about this trial is that they face a jail term of 2 years. And the only reason this is happening is because they happened to be anti-Putin protesters. This is the real story here and not the freedom of speech.
You missed the fact that Putin asked for leniency. Maybe the judge is anti-Putin.
And of course, every politicians means exactly what they say...
But I _AM_ still hoping Putin intervenes and releases them
You are reading his eyebrow movements? Did you waste your education on Kremlinology, and are now bitter about it?
Thats correct.
Go to LAND Destroyer Blog because New World Order CNN won't ever tell you the Truth bout this Manufactured Stunt by State Dept stooges , that are part of DESTABILIZING Psyops campaign against Russia . They Stormed the Church insulted Church goers w/ Blasphemous insults and if they think supporters can Chain Saw a CROSS and pretend it's just frees speech , it shows a how depraved lunatics they really are .
It only " matters " because CNN is just a New World Order mouth piece for U.S. foreign policy because of the emphasis on this sstory while U.S. is LOSING civil liberties and won't report that FACT .. NDAA , Tripwire etc etc .
Activists get 2 years for anti-Putin protest. Do you think this is a fair sentence? Vote at Nationwidevotes.com
Two years in prison?? That seems a little (alot) over the top. But this may be a smart move for Russia. Russia now alows freedom of religion and protection of whom wish to practice a religion. These girls broke into a place of worship and harrased its followers. What these girls did is a little (alot) over the top. But I still think it would have been smarter to sentance these girls to 1+ yr. of community service cleaning the church under the supervision of the nuns.
Two of these girls have kids. They shouldn't have even kept these girls in jail for six mo. They could have easily just sentanced them to 1-2yrs. of community service cleaning the church.
If they have kids, they're hardly "girls."
They got what they deserved. You can protest all you want, not in my church, not in my house.
vze, I agree
The author of this article either knows nothing about Russia or is outright lying. First as a very frequent visitor to Russia and married to a Russian woman I think I can accurately explain what is going on here. The orthodox church is very important to a huge percentage of russians. You must understand that under communism many were distroyed or converted and for decades they secretly held on to their faith which was to them an important part of their goal of freedom. This particular church they went into is very special and was selected by this group for that reason as they knew it would get them attention. And so it did... In Russia for a woman to enter the church it is a strong custom to cover her hair with a scarf. the Orthodox church is very formal and at least to the churches I have been to there is constant activity at the alter area. You cannot compare this to a baptist church or even a catholic church. By entering they insulted everyone there, and disrupted their service. What right do they have to do this? They trespassed and violated the rights of perhaps many hundreds of people.. They wanted attention they got it. This has nothing to do about Putin, but everything to do about disrespect for the majority of people, and disrespect for the church. I do not believe in God, so do not even go there, but I do believe in respecting the rights of others and these punks did all the disrespecting they can do. Perhaps in the US if we punished this kind of behavior we might find our society would benefit as the amount of disrespect here is shameful. If this was in a muslim country they would be stoned to death, and frankly I am surprised they only got 2 years.. Russian people are generally wonderful people, and likely have more freedoms now than we do as they do not have all the "rules" and laws we do YET. Economically they still struggle, and surprise they love America and Americans which was an incredible surprise to me when I went on my first trip there. This group did an incredibly stupid and disrespectful thing, and are lucky for the light punishment they are getting.
Sorry, as disrespectful as this was, the pride of the church goers does not trump freedom of speech.
There is no such freedom of speech inside a private building. CNN can censor comments because there is no freedom of speech on a private website.
And this is the problem, isn't it. People who think they can go anywhere at any time and spout their mouths off.
My relationship with My Jesus is a very personal matter, and you do not have any right whatsoever to interrupt. Keep your noise outside in the public arena.
It's not a question fo pride. It's a matter of respect!
Your absolutely clueless. Can I break into your house and start ramming my opinions down your throat?
A private building is oT a public arena,nor would this go over at the next presidential debate in the USA.
I hope someone does interrupt the next debate before Obama speaks flashing their genitalia for the cameras. I can't wait to see Obama be mildly amused and think it "MIGHT have offended some..". Please, someone? Do you really believe the concept of freedom of speech covers invasion? See where your ignorance lands you.
Your comment is very strong and very true. Everything you said in regards to Russia and it's religion i absolutly correct and perfectly well matches my point as well.
A stern warning to all about the real Russia – not a good place to invest.. The old KGB apparatchik still controls the country. Putin is still just a thug even if he does look like he was left. "home alone"
mr, Putin was a KGB agent for years. He is smart about international politics. He should have put a tighter leash on this court. Even though he publically stated yesterday that their sentance should not be harsh, even the fact these girls were kept in jail for six mo. is over the top. Two of the girls have young kids. These girls should have swiftly been sentanced to community service (this is why the international community is angry about how this case was handled)
The international community? You mean other "musicians" who've successfully managed to create a fortune from immoral behavior and mockery? Oh, please let me get my politics from Paris Hilton and gaga. It's group stupidity like a moron Facebook post, only worse.
They have kids? So do many jailbirds. Thugs and criminals and rapists often have kids. Anarchy isn't going to create a new society, it will just plunge everyone into the depths. Their behavior got them exactly what they asked for.
The one member is a Canadian. Immediately that lets Russians know that this is a Western funded operation. Btw, where is Fareed?
Jack, this why my idea of sentancing them to community service cleaning the church under the supervision of the nuns is so brilliant; The girls could even write a song about it: "My nun is a commie she wont let me folly, nuns suck. doobee doobee doobee nuns suck"
These Broads needed to be taught a lesson. Some folks take "freedom" too far. That's America's problem now. Young thugs running amuk a culture of repugnant degeneration. Madonna and Paul Maccartney upset !! Those dope smoking freaks are there to cheerlead every degenerate act that has lead to the continual moral decay of America. Two years harsh, let them do six months to learn some manners.
"Broads"? Really? "Broads"? It's 2012 in case you missed a few decades.
I bellieve the use of "broads" was meant to get a reaction and it did
Sweet pea, the "P" word is also hopelessly outdated and incredibly insulting.
If that man in wisconsin had a guitar in his hands instead of a gun, it would still have been filled with just as much hate.
Keep your anarchy to yourselves.
Exactly what kind of society are you hoping to build? Think about it. Do you think that you can shout away people who just want to be left alone in their prayers?
The Orthodox Church suffered terribly under atheistic communism. But they endured.
These young people who suffered none of those truly outrageous atrocities don't have a clue as to what it was like. Leave Russia alone and wallow in your own mire.
Exactly! People need to educate themselves here, and stop treating Orthodoxy as if it were the enemy. The Church is not Valdimir Putin. So if those "musicians"had a problem with Putin they should've protested in the Kremlin, NOT inside of the church! Just goes to show how little people respect holy places anymore, particularly if they are Christian holy places.
If the church wanted to be regarded as a holy place, it should have stayed out of politics & not endorsed Putin....not so holy anymore.
The only reason this is getting so much press is because the reporters just love using the word p***y. They think they are getting away with something.
Excellent point. If this little group of controversy who res didn't go by this name likely no one would have heard of them.
They are just Madonna on he next level of cashing in on controversy, they are not political dissidents.
A dissident might educate themselves on government service and find ways to change what they feel is wrong. This isn't accomplished by taking off your panties for the public. That action has another name.
P Riot does matter. And what a strange coincidence that Assange is in the crucible this week too. What we have here are the two old super powers- the USA and Russia showing their true colors. It is not about freedom. It is about control. The control of information and expression. This is not freedom. This is totalitarianism at its ugliest. Power corrupts, freedom never does. Free P Riot! Free Assange! Free Manning! Or, none of us are free.
You can't even say P****Y on CNN comments? And on the next page you can see dead miners bodies from South Africa? We live in a death culture. There is absolutely nothing wrong with P****Y!
Bet you all won't do what ya did....To get yourself in this little situation...Sound's like some Shenanagens...Or a case of TomFoolery.....
If someone went into a Baptist church in the deep south and sang a protest song ridiculing its stand on abortion and birth control, they would be jailed for "hate crimes"and the church community would be up in arms about hoe Christianity is "under attack." The U.S. is exactly the same as Putin's Russia.
Hey Fareed, how'd that plagiarizing case turn out, as reported on the huff post.
Admitted guilt did you?
Your credibility is non-existent. Not an original thought in your head.
He probably never even saw where it came from. An untrained or careless intern probably got the info and put it on a notecard that FZ called his own- thinking that his intern was original and he had some sort of rights to it.
Credible? Sure. As credible as anything else on the Internet. Brooks kind of did the same thing to Murdoch and now he's taking the heat for it. As if commanders could really micro manage the troops!
The more money your make and the more famous you are the more distant you are to researching and producing your own stuff. All this info floating across the ether is only as good as the weakest link- college aged kids digging the trenches for facts and usually being interrupted by their smart phone addiction. Have you seen them? Everyday more and more like the Pied Piper driving them into the sea.
Who is going to come up with the app that takes info and does the bare legal minimum to make it original? What a windfall so that all these talking heads can finally get a round of 18 in. Go for it! You need the exercise and fresh air!!
The indication, to me, is that this is just another group or government that is so insecure in it's position that it can't take a little criticism. Kind of tells me that Russian elections are indeed a farce. Problem is, the guilty verdict brings more attention to an issue the government would just as soon see disappear. Idiots.
You Left Wing, Human Rights Watch, Bleeding Hearts, think of it as the Russian parallel to a "hate crime." Think how you would respond to the situation where someone walked into a LGBT meeting in one of those hallowed San Francisco bath houses and started screaming anti-Lavender Agenda, bumper sticker, slogans while wrecking the place? What then?
Once again we try to apply American laws to a country that is not America. We cannot expect the same sort of justice system, nor can we just condemn it because it is not our way of doing things. W would not have accepted the Netherlands criticizing our Jim Crow laws of the early 1960s.
what really matters here is the hypocrisy of the US government and it' s media mouth pieces, do we really have any right to criticize any one ? ny where in the world about human rights? and freedom of speech1 what a bunch of hypocrites run CNN
Recently Discharged U.S. Marine Arrested for Anti-Government Facebook Postings | Pixiq
http://www.pixiq.com/article/us-marine-a...
A man who recently served overseas as a U.S. Marine was arrested Thursday evening in Virginia for apparently making anti-government statements on
It matters because CNN really enjoys putting out those kind of headlines.
May I peacefully display a swastika in some Jewish temple, huh ? May I ?
DP, I was thinking the same thing. How would the US have dealt with these girls if the did that??? (raided a synagog and painted a swastika inside it right in front of its worshipers)
Well, of course no one should ever disrespect Jews or Muslims but it's perfectly ok to pick on Christians. That's what secular humanistic atheists think.
Wrong LaaDeeDaa...
Atheists think EVERYBODY who has an imaginary friend is fair game, no matter what that imaginary friend's name is.
@cogito-THAT is the problem with atheists. See, laws changed and the religious don't get to force public obscene to their beliefs. "Fair game". The mocking self righteousness of atheists DO attempt to force theirs.
Why don't they just go live their lives in peace? Neither side can PROVE their beliefs. science doesn't prove religion wrong, it is the interpretation of suppositions and theories, it's not facts.
Invading a religious service is a hate crime. The laws of the united states wouldn't allow this group of kids trying to cash in on infamy in the same way Madonna and gaga do, to believe this is about politics is ridiculous. The church has not long even had its rights restored to them in Russia. And like Stalin, these people decided to take over a non-public place.
They are to this moment full of contempt and got what they deserved. The church doesn't rule Russia. It was NOT CIVIL and it wasnt disobedience, it was a take over mockery of people different than themselves. They got precisely what they deserved.
Chaos –
"See, laws changed and the religious don't get to force public obscene to their beliefs. "Fair game". The mocking self righteousness of atheists DO attempt to force theirs."
Can you translate that into a cogent thought for me?
> Since assuming office in May, President Vladimir Putin has blatantly rejected the call of hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens.
because tens of millions of Russian citizens are not w/ you, dudette... there are only so much trouble from minorities that majority will tolerate.
What a disgusting name for a Rock Band! Even a three year old could think of a better one and in Russian, too!
I agree, Joe. That name sounds about like one the Tea Partiers would choose for their rock band if they had one! Here in America today, I guess it has become politically correct!
I am a total moron who will not learn. I steal people's moniker to post idiotic comments and when they get mad at me I claim ignorance. I am the same guy and I should be put down because I am a useless piece of shyatt.
Hey Pfunnie boy, where's my name above?
I am a useless piece of camel dung. I post anti American, anti GB, anti semite, anti India, anti modern anything because I am a good moooooslem. I steal people's monikers because I am so ashamed of myself and post the most stupid comment. When people get angry with me, I claim insanity. I am the same guy.
The whole thing was nothing more than a publicity stunt for their upcoming tour in Saudi Arabia.
There's no tour for two years, right?
it always amazes me that people can liken 2 years imprisonment as a suitable punishment for protesting in a church ... it is ignorance on a scale that just can't be measured.
of course the verdict is correct, an illegal activity took place, but the sentence does not in any way fit the crime.
also, on the flip side, it also amazes me that everyone thinks that they have all these freedoms .. freedom of speech does not exist, every single country on earth has censorship of one form or another, even in America censorship is as bad if not worse than many other places, these freedoms don't exist, stop pretending that they do
Nadine, so you think that they should get off scot free and be applauded? Now that's what's ignorant!
LaaDeeDaa...speaking of ignorance, try reading her comment again...(hint: pay PARTICULAR attention to the part where she says "of course the verdict is correct, an illegal activity took place, but the sentence does not in any way fit the crime.")
So you think it's ok for people to just walk into a church and disrespect it? Wonder how you'd feel if they walked into YOUR house or office and did the same thing? Seems like people have declared open season on Christianity in general, and Orthodox Christianity in particular. As an adherent of the Eastern Orthodox church, I am offended. Those musicians are not any sort of heriones for freedom of speech or human rights. They are just attention seeking brats!
you obviously stopped reading the post I made after the first sentence so your comment is irrelevant
Oh, you get to decide what is/isn't relevant now? Who died and left you the comment boss?
I did, when you clearly replied to somethin you did not fully read.
not once in my original post did i say that what they did was right, in fact what I did say was that THE VERDICT WAS CORRECT
so, yes I do get to decide what is or isn't relative when dealing with facts as they are clearly shown
Nadine,you're an arrogant beeyoch!
I agree with you, LaaDeeDaa. It that Nadine is just being politically correct. That's the way most Tea Partiers are!!!
I do not know why you are so stupid, so thick.
Stop using my moniker and we can go back to jousting.
Keep acting like a toddler and I will treat you like one.
When you start seeing something like this happening here in the U.S.A. then you know you have problems. Right now it's only individual web sights that will not publish what you type if they don't want to. The worse of these your reading right here, CNN, I'm not sure they will show this because they hate anything negative, everything must be like the Wizard of Oz minus the flying monkey's. I can't believe that Russian policemen aren't being killed one by one right this second, unless they are and good old Putin doesn't want it published. I think everyone better wake up and think in this country what and how they would approach a situation like this here and what they would do themselves. It could be closer then you think?
Judging by the way that many of my posts get blocked, it appears that CNN doesn't like to have people posting anything contrary to what the right-wing fanatics say or is simply not politically correct.
The media manipulates the comments to get a certain outcome.CNN based on my experience is one of the better ones.Reuters is the worst-I was banned for making an anti Iran war comment
The media and powers to be manipulate propaganda . That is one of the reasons why we do not get translation in English of Thilo Sarrazin's books or "200 Years Together by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Both are "politically incorrect" , but write simple honest TRUTH. We are being blocked from reading the books . Freedom ??? We are free not to know about them.
In the past, I have had my moniker stolen by Joseph McCarthy/Quigley/LyndsieGraham/krm1007 ©™/Joe Collins/J. Foster Dulles/Marine5484. I guess this ignorant person wanted to quiet me because I am a liberal who believes in plurality and I love my country.
This harassment is unrelenting and this guy figures that if he/she harasses enough, I will stop posting and this will alow him/her to continue to spew poison on the civilized world.
I want you to know that the more I am harassed , the more I will keep posting. I will not be made to be quiet.
Again, I believe in plurality, freedom of religion, freedom of speach, freedom of thought. If people want to emigrate anywhere, then they should do so in a positive, respectful manner.
Proof of whom I am is available on your iphones, bbs, androids and my moniker is preceded by a pink coloured sign that denotes my email. Any other colour or poisonous rants meets that JosephMcCarthy/Quigley/LyndsieGraham/krm1007 ©™/Joe Collins/J. Foster Dulles/Marine5484 has stolen my moniker again.
We in the US try to act like this sort of thing doesnt happen here. But look at the Gestappo act er i mean the Patriot act, or its mutant twin the NDAA. Look at how banks made bad decisions and SHOULD HAVE FAILED, then get bailed out with OUR money. I dont understand why we can go pointing fingers at other countries, when we ourselves are on the threshold to Fascism.
Thank you, lol. How so very true that rings!
Folks: youtube these girls in action in russia. What they do would never be allowed in the USA for even a moment. Go SEE what they did in Russia. In USA they would have been Tasered, Pepper Sprayed, and then shot as needed. It is an abomination to social order. It is NOT free speech as we know it.
These people knew what might happen if they did this, but took a chance and did it anyway. So now pay the price. Civil disobedience has a price, just ask MLK, Gandhi, Danton, etc. But you must be willing to pay that price. They gambled, they lost. End of story.
Putin arrest a girl band for singing a song about him, the North Korea clown is threatening war with the good Korea, and the wack job in Iran is threatening Israel again. I guess Obama and Bush are not that bad.
The increasing connectedness of people throughout the world showcases democratic freedom that people, especially young people, crave. Protest and active resistance to oppression are being met with an upward spiral in violence and harsh punishments by the ruling cliques and dictators in non-democratic regimes throughout the world. Ultimately, the freedom loving protesters will likely prevail, but in the near term we will likely see escalating waves of brutality by many leaders frightened of losing their grip on absolute power.
Russia and The Russian's will never change
Why did this punk band have to protest in a holy place? As an Orthodox communicant in the U. S. I was highly offended
by their choice of venue. Why not choose a political place: city hall, court, Lenin's tomb, whatever. As far as I'm concerned, they lost points by protesting in a church.
This incident highlights the state of affairs in Puttin's Russia.
Freedom isn't free. It comes with an obligation for good judgement, responsibility and a respect for the rights of others.In other words their freedom ends where that of others begins. In this case that was on church property where congregants have an expectation of appropriate behaviour. These women exercised none of these things and are getting their just desserts. Their right to freedom of expression does not nullify the rights of others.
Today's world is becoming an angrier place that is out of control because some people think they have the right to behave any way they want regardless of where they are or whose rights they violate.
To have any order in society we need to keep people from reacting in anger against each other over incidents like this. We have laws and hold lawbreakers accountable.. Part of that freedom of expression comes with knowing and accepting consequences.
As for taking them seriously, the name they chose for their caterwauling so-called musical group prevents that to judge from many of the comments and nasty jokes made about their moniker on the articles devoted to this incident. Their are more comments on their name than on the event itself.
In the US, this band committed the equivalent of disorderly conduct, which allows up to on average one year in jail; and trespassing which allows up to on average nine months in jail.
So two years in prison is hardly unique or abnormal given that one average, US laws allow the same sentencing.
I I go to a Byzantine Catholic retreat every year. There is a statement posted that the retreat grounds and all activities are considered religious events and disruption is considered (I believe) a federal offense. The retreat grounds (in Pennsylvania) could not be entered and protested without legal consequence. Outside the grounds one could protest, but not on the grounds. We have freedom of religion in the US, why are we critical when the Russians do as well. BTW, for Catholic and Orthodox believers, interrupting a liturgy is a very egregious event. It is a major sacrilege for us.
BS, these girls pulling the same thing in a church would have gotten overnight in jail and 40 hours of community service. These girls are sentenced to maximum security Russian gulag to be tortured for a while and then disappeared by the Putin regime. Big, big difference, that.
This article is utter nonsense. Free speech (in American) is constrained by time, place and manner. PR chose the wrong place at the wrong time. If I choose to give a speech in your living room at 2:00 am, my speech (regardless of topic) would be in appropriate in terms of time, place and manner. This is much ado about nothing....
Not really, these girls were basically put on death row, they will never survive 2 years in the russian gulag.
agitators sponsored by the terrorist west.
2 years not enough.
treat like terrorists,
Missed you Ferit. Nice to see you back. I'd join the company when I have smt to say:)
They wanted attention and they got it.
If this band did what they did in a public park or square they would not be in prison. They also would not have been blogged about on CNN as well. They chose the church for notoriety and now they are paying for it. Move one, people.
The church was empty. No one else was there.
Not true David -get the story right.Besides it is immaterial. You desecrate any place of worship and see what will happen.Barbarism is in the act .Nothing to do with Human Rights or freedom of speech.
The late night talk show hosts must be having a FIELD DAY with this whole story. The jokes just write themselves.
" ...freedom of expression, in whatever peaceful form it takes, is a human right, and one on which the protection of other rights rests." Unless your "expression" is not deemed "politically correct" by the liberal hypocrites. Then it is discouraged and sneered at.
American media is so biased. "Performing a peaceful protest song in a Russian Orthodox Cathedral that lasted less than a minute." whatta joke! How can cnn get this far in failing to explain what really happened? The band was singing perverse phrases IN A CHURCH. There is nothing peaceful in WHAT the hooligans did and HOW the did it. If the gals would have done it in a mosque, they would have been stoned right away. The gals should be happy to get only 2 years in prison. How can you walk into the orthodox church, sing "pope sucks lawyers' %^%$" and get away with it? You can't and you shouldn't. Only in America people can do stupid things in churches and get away with it. This incident happened in Russia and therefore, should be judged according to the Russian laws. The Church is a sacred place in Russia, unlike in America and Europe. I am glad that those hooligans will suffer consequences; it's a good lesson to American and European Christians on how to treat a church. The Church is not for foul language but it's a sacred place where believers come for worship. "unjustly detained" according to American laws, where people can sh^% on the church smiling. You say "freedom of speech" should be allowed... You come to my family dinner, which is sacred for me, without an invitation singing foul songs – you will get shot. You express your freedom of speech on the streets and places where it is allowed but not in the places of worship, singing foul songs about popes. CNN is biased. The author of this article thinks that she is a belly of this world but she isn't. Why should Russia listen to people who sh%^ on their churches? What is the point of such Christianity anyways? America is embarrassing herself.
do the crime; do the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cole, i'm sorry where the nuns and church goers upset??? so these young girls expressing a very real frighting concern over the loss of their people' human rights , should send them to prison for TWO years? buddy, what?!? – cole
Two years is a ridiculous sentence. Hey, Macho-man Putin, can't handle a little criticism from some girls? Yeah, I read all the posts about religion and blasphemy. It's still a ridiculous sentence.
US, the land of loudmouthed... Shout louder: he does not hear you small bug!
Putin will burn in hell.
The sooner, the better.
Nice spin: "peaceful protest".
More like: They disrupted a house of worship shouting expletives.
Their right to protest stops when it involves disrupting others in their freedom of religion.
They are not a band. They are a bunch of hooligans.
They got the punishment they deserved.
Freedom of expression is one thing. Exercising that freedom in a blasphemous way on a church altar is different. It was a rebellious act against Russian law which borders on desecration, because it showed a complete lack of civility or common respect for that which is sacred in a place devoted to the worship of God. If these punk rockers wanted to express their opinion, they should have done it in an appropriate setting.
Having said that, was a 2-year sentence appropriate? I'd say that was too harsh. But at the same time, a slap on the wrist with an injunction to never do it again probably wouldn't have deterred them from doing it again. And if you allow rebels, activists, and dissenters to get away with anything they want, you're going to end up with anarchy.
Playing music is not 'getting anything they want'. It is just speech. Speech can be disrespectful. It takes two for there to be disrespect... one to do the disrespecting and one to take offense. The church is private property and they did not force their way in, as far as I know. That would have been trespassing. If they were asked to leave and did not leave that would also be trespassing. As far as I know they did leave. If they had been in America they would have broken no laws.
Any mature peoples who ask for their rights should first respect the rights of others. Sari no trespessing
Why do liberals want to be the world's cop. Something that happen in Russia is not a problem for America. Liberals need to realize we can no longer afford to be the world's cop.
The country is Russia, not the U.S. While one can point the finger at another country for its supposed judicial excesses that diverts attention from the excesses and inhumanities of one's own country.
Well put, Gopherit. Thank you.
I think CNN should have asked Amnesty if they helped to plan the Cathedral stunt. Why keep the truth a secret?
It just makes me mad that all that crap, all that fingerpointing and supreme wisdom sharing comes from a country which is guilty of creating and supporting most vicious terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, starting more than one wars under false presences, totally illegally bombing territories of their allies, promoting narcotics businesses in Afghanistan and Latin America, having their own citizens slotted regularly by psychopaths, run corrupt politicians, having people tortured all around the world by its henchmen, keeping prisoners indefinitely in Gitmo without trial, even bribing Olympic committee – sort of nobody ever went that far before... Wow: when was it the last time you looked in a mirror dudes!
Andrey:
"slaughtered" buddy, otherwise well said!
Thanks! I felt it is wrong somehow....
The search for truth requires open expression of different opinions. Russis has this situation. The U.S. is trying to get its legal system hold of WikiLeaks founder by devious means. These Swedish charges seem bogus. He is in England where they want to send him to Sweden and then he is expected to end up in the U.S. I wish he could have leaked the inside memos in the previous Republican president GW Bush when he was scaring the country into war with Iraq.
Do not listen to this State Department paid muslim provocatur.
I think this muslim provocatur Zakaria got his muzzle smacked pretty good at this site. Good job pals!
Why does Zakaria still have a job when plaigiarism would have got anyone else fired?
Imagine the Puss y Riot there will be when they get to prison. Everyone will want them for a girlfriend.
Punk Band?
Doubtful, at best.
Reminds me of an old joke....
What kind of meat does a Priest eat on Friday???
NUN!
Aziz, Ahmed and Mustafa are three brothers.
They each send some money back home to their old mom and dad.
Aziz sends them money so they can add one more room to the house and live more comfortably.
Ahmed sends them money so they can buy some second hand car, drive around and have some fun instead of being bored.
Mustafa sends them a parrot.
The parrot was specially trained in Mecca and it can recite Kuran by heart,
so parents can just tell him the chapter where to start and bird will start reciting.
After a while they get a letter from the parents.
It says:
Dear sons,
Thank you for your gifts.
Ahmed, we added one more room to the house. We don't use it much, but now I have one more room to clean.
But still thank you for making the house nicer.
Aziz, we bought the car, but we are not using it much. We are old and tired, so we don't leave the house unless we have to.
But it still comes in handy when we need to go somewhere.
Mustafa, your present was the best – the chicken was delicious.
I went to a Muslim strip show the other night. Everyone was shouting, "Show us yer face!"
A man goes parachuting with a muslim. The muslim tells him that
he should jump out the plane count to 10 and then pull the
ripcord. The man asks him what he should do if his parachute
doesn't open. The muslim tells him to pray to Allah. So he jumps
out the plane , counts to 10 and pulls his ripcord.
The parachute doesn't open so he says "Oh Allah plese save me"
and this big black hand comes out of the sky , picks him up and
puts him the ground.
Once he is on the ground the man says "Thank God for that". This
big black foot comes out of the sky and goes squish.
All music = awesome
All religion = silly
Nuff said
Way to tow the Jewish line, bub. Go to http://www.incogman.net, that is if you have any courage left
They will make a killing once they're out of prison. They are already folk heroes, their music could absolutely stink and people will buy it. And for what it's worth, under the USSR they would have been executed. And additionally they would've been arrested in the US and UK also, charged with misdemeanors. So it will all end good and the larger cause has been advanced, no question.
Im noticng the banner at the top with Fareed, ummm aint he be suspended? GREAT AD, CNN! LOL!!!
This verdict is a bit harsh, no doubt. And many of you people commenting above me sound crazy with all the b**** fighting...
I'm not the most religious person. But I am Russian, my grandmother was chased out of her home by the communists, her brother was killed right in front of her. This kind of disrespect to the Church was exactly what was going on during that time. Sucks to bring back those memories.
Also, I think for protesting to be effective, both parties must be respected. I made a pilgrimage to Christ the Savior when I was younger. It is a placed loved by all Russian Orthodox Christians and was originally built to thank God for helping the Russian people through all that they had. The rioters should have known better to disrespect a place that in fact is meant to unite the Russian people.
Protest all they want, I'm all for it. But why the hell would anyone respect what they have to say after disrespecting something millions of their fellow citizens?
I'm sick and tired of hearing people say "religion sucks, it's stupid". YOU are now condemning the religious, who are just thinking of something greater then themselves, being thankful for what they have been blessed with in life and looking to the afterlife, praying to find more to life other then this world where people are so rude and disrespectful and NOT peaceful.
To bad religion didn't protect them from the long years of communist brutality. People like to credit religion with what goes right and don't want to blame it for the things that are bad.
The search for truth requires open expression of different opinions. Russia has this situation. The U.S. is trying to get its legal system hold of WikiLeaks founder by devious means. These Swedish charges seem bogus. He is in England where they want to send him to Sweden and then he is expected to end up in the U.S. I wish he could have leaked the inside memos in the previous Republican president GW Bush when he was scaring the country into war with Iraq.
Obviously Russia hasn't changes as much as they'd like us to think. Just disgusting.
Russia is very different from the old U.S.S.R. I find it fascinating that we can have videos of so much from that area where before it was a closed box with little outside contact. Certainly, needs more openness and free inquiry.
Putin showed then who's running things. Two years in the cooler ought to straighten them out.
I saw the original protest performance video and there were 4 women with balaclavas in it dancing around in the cathedral. How come only 3 are in a cage and sentenced to 2 years each. Where/who is the 4th girl ?
Yet China executes people for crimes like business fraud, and locks up people for ten years minimum for speaking out against the government, and the US and US media is silent about it.
If these women had been arrested for playing their music in a street outside a church, I'd agree with the author. That's not what happened. They invaded a church during a service, disrupted the service, and had to be forcibly removed. They should get some jail time.
Under full-blown Stalinism, these women would have disappeared forever into the Gulag. The best Putin can manage is Stalinism Lite. Give him time. He will get there.
I wouldn't want to be caught in a dark alley with those police officers. They make Mike Tyson look like a ligh-weight.
Maybe next time (in three years) they should stage their protest *outside* of the church.
I'm glad to see these shorter names, used by these innocent and brave young ladies, for those like me who get Vertigo from trying to pronounce those lovely Russian names. Those young ladies are innocent.
You call them ladies: you obviously know nothing about who they are and what they do. Read up on the topic before you post: preferably using more than CNN as the source.
Their status as mothers means nothing. Suppression of speech is wrong, and no one needs to give birth to earn the freedom.
Maybe it makes their actions more irresponsible, knowing how the trial would turn out. For this, I pity only the children, not the mothers.
The search for truth requires open expression of different opinions. Russis is trying to avoid such. The U.S. is trying to get its legal system hold of WikiLeaks founder by devious means. The Swedish charges seem bogus. He is in England where they want to send him to Sweden and then he is expected to end up in the U.S. grasps. I wish he could have leaked the inside memos in the previous Republican president GW Bush when he was scaring the country into war with Iraq.
I want GPS back on the air. It was replaced today with the same old mouthpieces of political rant that dominates CNN. Zakaria has the best information and guests and discussion on television today.
Seems the writer forgets that this happened in Russia, not the USA. I guess she's never been out of the country to realize things are different else where in the world.
Michelle (the author) speaks no Russian and does not travel to Russia. Why no stories on Israeli policies? Nothing but anti-Russian and Syrian stories.
If a regime can't stand up to a few protest songs, then that regime (Putin) must be really weak.
It pss me off seeing all you liberals (dems, reps and EU) crying a river of crocodile tears for "suppressed freedom in Russia". The topic is not work a crap, it is another small step in the years-long hate campaign that US and of course "free press " like CNN wields against Russia.
I hope that Russian people will eventually learn to hate you back: as so many other people do. It will take some time, but you will make it happen.
i would like to think that the Church would oppose such a punishment, but my guess is that in Russia just like here in the USA, Church leaders and angry,little self-righteous people who love power and to impose their will on others. Yay, Jesus!
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We can b**** about Russia's rights violations all we want, but we DO stil have the Patriot Act implemented.
Hey CNN, grow some balls and stop putting the disclaimers at the beginning of each story!
Nonsense article to support the Globalist Agenda.
or that silly notion of freedom of speech
I hate the name they chose since women are far superior to us males. I do not think any term for women should be used that degrades women, If they wanted to use a body part in their names, they could call themselves ball busters or nut crushers. I would not care if the even had males volunteer to come on on stage and let them bust their balls. I am sure a lot of males would freely offer their nuts to them even for the purpose of getting kicked in the balls and I bet the women watching would love it too,
Matthew 5:43-45 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
Russian Orthodox Church has forgotten Holy Bible, when it had started this witch hunting. It was sold. There is no varitable faith anymore. It has become an instrument for a new tsar. And those, who blindly follow pseudopreachers, crying for imprisonment of the children of your Father, have no right to call themselves believers. The Church has stained its good name. Politics is a new religion. And the old good ship called Russian Orthodox Church is slowly sinking. God bless the victims of this lapse.
Of what sect you are?
I encourage you to keep speaking to the many Americans who publicly identify with their religion. They need to listen to your message to restore recognition, in real terms, of Jesus' teachings, and to live by them.
Iactually dound the sentence remarkably lenient. A10 year sentence I feel would have been more appropriate.
Media: this really does not matter. stop making this sound like news.
If you have to ask this question, you are either brain dead or plaind st u pi d
If they'd done this at their own concert, among people who they didn't expressly know were there for something else and would be disrupted from it by their unwelcome performance, and still received a prison sentence for the same words, I'd be with you. For now, all I see is the media hyping this way beyond what it really is. And I'm a person who would prefer these matters be handled in a civil suit, but this is the system Russia has and I can't see where this is worthy of international outrage.
I don't think the band should get imprisonment BUT they did apparently come into a church and disrespect the church and people attending (from what I can gather from the articles, though they seem rather confusing). So they should have paid a fine at most and been told never do enter church property again unless they were there to go to prayer services only.
tsar Putin or Czar Putin? which one is correct?
If they did it in a mosque, Fareed would be writing apologist articles explaining why the rioters were burning them in effigy.
Russia is still better than the USA. Russia does not pretend to have free speech. In the USA we pretend to have free speech but if you say some thing abusive powerful people in the USA do not like you will be treated like a criminal in the Ole Fake Land of the Free
Their behavior was a legitimate protest at best and tacky at worst. What I find interesting is all the Christians in here who think that thir right to worship in peace without being offended, but should somone be gay, pro-life, not Chritsian they have no problem using that Bible as an excuse to be as offensive as they please.
This is not about freedom of speech. It was simply a hate crime against a Christian church. Nobody stopped them from speaking publically, they didn't get enough attention and chose to violate people's right to exercise their religion and worship God without harrassment. If there is nothing wrong with what they did, then there is nothing wrong with the KKK breaking into a black Baptist church, or Nazi's breaking into a Jewish temple on the High Holy Days, singing Sturmer songs and defiling the Torah. I wonder if those who support the punk's actions really have thought things out.
Actually, it's not that easy to get a permission for a protest these days in Russia. So they WERE stopped by government from speaking out in more dignified manner. Yes, they caused few moments of confusion among the church-goers. Fine them, give them few weeks of public service. Don't throw them in jail for 2 years.
So they did not apply for the permit: they just forced their way into the church, disrupted the service, shouted their obscene "song" and finally resisted the arrest! How can you lieve with no mind of your own, being totally brainwashed by your "free media" like that? You are like a robot, running on a program.
If you think this sentencing was harsh, you should have seen what happened to the band Burqa
Riot in Saudi Arabia.
This wouldn't happen in America, at least not yet! Even Hank Williams Jr. who just went on an anti-socialist rant while performing at the Iowa STATE Fair was allowed to perform. We still have the right to free speech, even if you are a Fool, right Hank. Now go cash your performance check, sponsored by the STATE.
So was he invited to the fair, or he just forced his way in?
I understand that for Americans a Fair is as sacred....
Let's be smart and remember that they deserve to be punished for interrupting a private meeting in a way that deserves repercussion. If they are being punished for that reason it is fine. But I agree that the amount of jail time is too steep. If it is because of what they said about their president, then they clearly DO have a tyranny for a government.
That is because they are repeat offenders. Look up their group on internet. That is certainly not the worst and not the most obscene thing that they have done, it is just the latest.
I FULLY support the verdict in Russia. If a band of anti-abortionists had interrupted an Obama fund raiser in this same manner, they would have been imprisoned for MUCH longer in the United States. In the US, most of the left think you should get a far WORSE sentence for standing on a public sidwalk across from an abortion clinic. So the lefts "outrage" at this is complete hypocrisy.
What these people did was trespass, commit blasphemy and violate the religious rights of those in the congregation. A solemn service where the very body and blood of Christ were present was desecrated. If some so called right wingers had gone into a mosque like this in the US, they'd have been prosecuted for "hate crimes" and given 10 TIMES this sentence in the good old freedom loving US of A.
I, as an America, FULLY SUPPORT Russia in this verdict.
Let somebody try this stunt at airport security in the US and see what kind of sentence they get. Can you say Guantanamo?
Should the church forgive their trespass as their so called leader supposedly taught them. Your all dumb and worthy of your fall. You don't have a clue to the actual nature of God, nor can you perceive his character and yet you postulate who is and isn't Christ as if you know anything, like dogs you eat your own puke. Enjoy the aroma of your own excrement. For in it you will roll. Abominations, the lot of you.
Bottom line: Unless you live in Russia and/are a russian citizen, then it is no one else's business how the country decides to handle it's affairs.
The last time we stepped in and interferred with how a leader dealt with his own people we paid dearly for it in young lives and worldwide respect. What we had left.
We have a right (sorta) in this country to free expression. They don't. But out of other countrys' affairs.
And I thought the Russian death camps were a thing of the past. Well, here goes another round of "Christian" orthodox people muting anything they don't want to hear.
Russian death camp are nothing compared to your Gitmo... Because Gitmo is real. Fiction always looses if compared to the real thing! Want people take you seriously: get your own crap sorted and only than open your mouth to criticize others!
This just shows the idiocy of Putin.
Putin deserves a good old fashion FISH cheer.
Give me a F!
Does anyone know if these women would have been guilty of anything in the US if they had done this?
Yes, they would have been charged with disrupting a church service. Since most churches in the US are on private property, they also would have been charged with "criminal trespassing" here. However, in Russia the churches may be owned by the government. I'm not sure. I know the part about "disrupting a church service" because I remember when anti-abortion activists disrupted services at churches where doctors who performed abortions attended. They were charged. The big difference is I don't think anybody went to a labor camp for two years.
p*ssy riot - the cultural marxist darlings on the western Jewish media. Everyone please go to http://www.incogman.net to learn about the Jewish cabal destroying America and the world. This is something EVERYONE needs to know....
More info about this can be found at http://www.incogman.net. Please visit this site!!!
There is no such thing as human rights. "Rights" are nothing but a consensus between and amongst a group of people. If that consensus ends in some way, then poof, no more rights. The only true right every human has is the right to live. The fact that people don't recognize this, such as the author of this piece, shows how truly ignorant they are.
Sad but true. Many who brag about America's history when it comes to human rights have never lived there as racial or ethnic minorities. Many people downplay how inhumane its treatment of non-Whites has been historically and overstate how much effective change has been implemented.
I guess I assumed everyone knew that Putin and every Russian President there has been, are not exactly democratic, although holding a bit of a front of it. Democracy-flavored socialism. I am not sure where our foreign relations offically stand, but it seems like we are both completely irrelevant to the others' lives. This matter has caught on, but im sure there are hundreds of civil infractions like this that have been turned into crimes in their administration, that do not get any press time at all. Im sure there are more worthy civilians wrongly imprisoned–can the news make a big deal out of Russia's policies in general or is this just a headline grabbing name? I think I know which it is.
The band's treatment is ominous and tells us everything we need to know about Putin's Russia. It's a serious and legitimate issue of free speech, and it illustrates how Russia simply does not have it.
Unfortunately, in the US media the primary reason the band gets mentioned at all has more to do with their name providing a loophole for writing a word that is normally off-limits to them as "journalists". It's been a juvenile game of "let's see how many times we can put the p-word" in headlines, but with very little substance in the stories beyond the bare basic facts. At least here with Zakaria we get some marginally insightful commentary about it. Finally..
It only matters because this is the first time you can't even use one of the words in the headline without being censored.
As empathetic we would like to be towards these women, if one looks at the history of their (and the larger group they belong to) "protests", one will see that they truly are hooligans and had this coming (small wonder?).
They have a sordid history of indecent exposure, public nudity, assaulting citizens with body excrements, and the like.
Yes, Russia needs to have free-er speech but their illegals acts are not justified.
I think there's more to it than just the Russian pseudo democracy. In fact they would have been found equally guilty of blasphemy in countries like Germany (I know for a fact) and probably in many other European countries. I'm not sure whether the USA has blasphemy laws or not. In theory they shouldnt but with all the christianity running wild, it's possible that there are.
Disturbances of the peace and tresspassing should be treated just like that, regardless of whether it happens in a Walmart or in a church. Churches should not have special protection anywhere in the free world
For all those who are so lovingly and ardently defending the rights of the worshippers, please be aware that these are one sided rights – and I don't mean in comparison with the three women either. Do you know that it is illegal to start any other kind of church in modern Russia (other than Russian Orthodox) unless you can prove that it had already existed there prior to the revolution of 1917 and it was forced to close due to the Communists? So, that means the only people who have religious freedom and whose right to worship in peace is to be respected are the Russian Orthodox Christians. How convenient! They are also the ones who call Putin a "gift from God." I am not defending what the women did, but if we're going to defend worshippers, let's defend all worshippers equally. Otherwise, it's just all politics.
Ms Ringuette is, like the 3 girls jailed, clearly misguided. This isn't about music, it's about being able to distinguish between Protest & Anarchy. They violated a property that was not theirs. They are no different than graffiti spray painters. This is a trivial issue that is only important to a miniscule minority and the State Deparftment's foreign policy toward Russia.
There are many more worthy and true human rights violations by friends of Washington, that Ms Ringuette chose to overlook. I'll list a few.
For months Bahrainis have been in the streets protesting their regime and being killed, wounded, jailed and tortured. Saudi military are in Bahrain for this purpose.
For months Saudis have protested in the eastern provinces suffering the same.
The Syrian opposition forces have been committing the same atrocities as the Syrian military.. Israelis have immolated themselves in the street protesting the Netanyu regime. My advice to Ms Ringuette is this, don't drink the Kool Aid, also go after the atrocities that friends of Washington commit.
They expect that publicly hating everything Russian will earn them tickets to US. They might be right!
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I find the sentence to be too lenient.Had it been Uncle Stalin they would have received at least 30 years.Had it been Mr Brezhnev at least 15 years. Either one would have been more appropriate then what they just got.
They are cowards: they would have never done it in Stalin's time! That would never even cross their minds! You are just talking total nonsense!
The only 'coward" is Putin because he is afraid of 3 women.
In some Haryana villages in India, the young girls are routinely threatened, abused and killed all under Khap (tribe/clan) verdicts. It is acceptable for the families to feed pesticide pills to the teenage girls and then dispose off their bodies by burning them without any police records.
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IN Russia they have bigger problems than this and are probably glad to be rid of these musicians.
I saw public opinion poll among russian people.
34% think that it was hooliganism. 24% think that it was sacrilege. 15% – the desire to become famous. 11% – political action. 4% – extremism.
This suggests that they do not have the support of their fellow citizens.
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