Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk performance collective formed in Moscow in 2011, known for unauthorized protest performances in public places by masked members. On February 21, 2012, members staged a “punk prayer” against Vladimir Putin and the Orthodox Church’s support for him in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

On August 17, 2012, a Moscow court convicted Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced them to two years. Samutsevich’s sentence was suspended on appeal; Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were released under an amnesty in December 2013. In 2018 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia had violated their rights, including freedom of expression. Members later interrupted the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow. Several members have since been designated “foreign agents” by the Russian Justice Ministry and live in exile.

Sources

• European Court of Human Rights. Mariya Alekhina and Others v. Russia, judgment. July 17, 2018.
• Gessen, Masha. Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot. Riverhead Books, 2014.

Summary entry. A fuller, document-based profile is in preparation.