Tag: free speech

AUG 16, 2012 - The calls for Pussy Riot to be freed has grown louder, and the crowds at the rallies in support of their freedom have spread around the world and have gotten larger and more motivated. JTMP has been out in front of this story for weeks, because we are all about using music and activism together and we applaud the free speech action the women did at the Russian Orthodox Church and join the calls for their release. Many musicians have been coming out in support of Pussy Riot, such as Pete Townshend, Madonna, Peaches, Bjork and many, many others.

On this Friday, Aug. 17, 2012, all of the activists have organized to be spread out in cities across the world when the court announces the verdict, which will be announced at 2:00 PM Moscow time (1000 GMT), and JTMP plans to be at the Russian embassy here in DC, where earlier Amnesty International delivered 80,000 signatures in a petition to free Pussy Riot who they believe to be "prisoners of conscience". Read more on HuffPo here.

For video of this event and to get involved in the Free Pussy Riot movement check back to JTMP daily, and also check out FreePussyRiot.org, click on the city near you and join the Pussy Riot Global Day on Friday, August 17, 2012.

August 3, 2012 - President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who was just re-elected to a third term, was in London for the Olympics and commented on the Pussy Riot trial saying, "I see nothing good in what they did. Nevertheless, they should not be judged too severely." Russian courts usually follow what is "suggested to them" by the government, so this is a good sign that the 3 women will not face the full 7 years of prison they face. Read more on NYDailyNews.com here. (photo credit: Russian government/Wiki)

August 2, 2012 - 4 well-known British musicians have published a letter to The Times in the UK calling for the release of the punk rock band members of Pussy Riot in Russia; among those are Pete Townshend, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, Jarvis Cocker of the Pulp, and Martha Wainwright. They state in the letter they feel the free speech action at the cathedral was at worst a "breach of the peace", and also say, "Dissent is a right in any democracy and it is entirely disproportionate that they face seven years in jail for what we consider a preposterous charge of 'hooliganism motivated by religious hatred'." Many are also now concerned with the treatment of the women who have been held in detention during trial, and there are reports of lack of food, physical abuse, and other mistreatment by the authorities. Read more on WashPo here.  (photo credit: Ian McLagan/Wiki)

July 31, 2012 - Young, progressive Russians, who used to flee to other countries to get away from the brutal oppression of free speech and dissent by the government, are now deciding to stay and try and change things at home. Most notably is the women punk musician-activist band Pussy Riot that is challenging free speech restrictions by doing "actions". 3 members of the band were arrested in February of 2012 and are now on trial for singing an anti-Putin song at the cathedral of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church. They face charges of "hooliganism" and face up to 7 years in prison. Even their spouses are being attacked, such as the husband of one of the women arrested, Pyotr Verzilov, who had a Canadian passport when he was attending school in Toronto years ago and the Russian government flashed an image of his passport on TV and called it evidence that he and his wife are trying to "tear Russia apart". Read more on WashPo here, and also there is a good article about the trial on NBCNews.com here.

They are all part of a movement called "Voina", a group consisting of artists, musicians and others that stage provocative actions deliberately meant to test the boundaries of their freedoms and liberties, and challenge the government's authority. They call this "polical protest art"; and at least 20 criminal investigations have been launched against the group and its members. The government of Russia says the Art group VOINA, "is a left-wing radical anarchist collective whose central goal is to carry out PR actions directed against the authorities..." Check out the org's website and read about the many political prisoners in Russia consisting of journalists, artists and even regular activists trying to bring about progressive change in Russia on their website: http://en.free-voina.org/.

The trial has divided old Russia against the youth, and even spilled over to America as protesters held a rally in front of the Russian embassy here in Washington, DC on July 28, 2012 to protest what they see as government overreach and oppression of free speech. NME.com reports that many musicians have spoken out against the detention and prosecution of the women, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand. Check back because JTMP will be posting on this issue regularly, and will also have a video out soon. (photo credits: CC\Wiki)

July 8, 2012 - Hip-hop artist Frank Ocean came out last week and announced he is either bi-sexual or gay (I am unsure) saying his "first true love was a man", and has not faced a feared backlash and uproar from the hip-hop world and fans. This was seen as a bold and risky move, some saying it would jeopardize his young career in the ultra-macho world of hip-hop. There were death threats and hate speech directed towards him on Twitter by some people which was to be expected, but mostly the uproar has not been there; maybe signaling a shift in attitudes towards homosexuality in the hip-hop world. Read more about it on NYTimes.com here.  (Photo credit: Sweisscheese/Wiki)