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Putin vs. Pussy Riot: Why the hard crackdown?

When members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot walked up onto the altar of Moscow’s main cathedral and performed a profanity-laced song against President Vladimir Putin in February 2012, they did not anticipate the severity of the reaction they were about to trigger.

“We are jesters...holy jokers...we didn’t mean to offend anyone,” said 22-year-old Nadezhda (Nadia) Tolokonnikova in “Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer”, a documentary about the trial of the three members of the band who were arrested on charges of religious hatred after their performance at Christ the Savior Cathedral.

The documentary - which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and had its UK premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest this week - shows exclusive footage from inside the courtroom. As Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich (Katia), 30, await their sentence inside a cage, they are seen laughing at journalists snapping photos and teasing judges and prosecutors with provocative speeches filled with irony and criticism of Russia’s political and religious establishments.

The film also takes a closer look at the lives of the three young women, exploring the roots of their activism and the role their families and upbringing played in shaping their personalities.

After a trial that reverberated around the world and won Pussy Riot the support of international human rights groups and celebrities like Madonna and Sting, a judge ruled the three women had "committed an act of hooliganism, a gross violation of public order showing obvious disrespect for society."

The court found all three women guilty and sentenced them to two years in prison. Samutsevich later had her punishment converted to a suspended sentence.

Pussy Riot had existed for some time before the now famous “Punk Prayer”, and had staged various performances - always sporting their colourful “balaclavas” (masks), singing provocative lyrics aimed at stirring consciences and skewering the oppressive nature of Russia’s leader, Putin.

However, none of their previous acts prompted such a severe response from the state. Why then did the “Punk Prayer” episode trigger such a harsh reaction?

“They walked into the heart of Russia and took a shit,” a woman protesting against the band said in the film. This colourful metaphor may explain why some people in Russia - and not just Putin - felt outraged by what the three activists did.

Religion runs deep in Russia where some three quarters of the population consider themselves Russian Orthodox, and Putin has portrayed the church as the guardian of Russia's national values.

Religion, which often represented the sole anchor of hope for people during hardship, was banned after the revolution of 1917, and many of its sacred symbols destroyed. Like most reminders of the Soviet era, atheism and disrespect for religion are met with hostility by some Russians.

By “attacking” a landmark religious symbol such as the main cathedral in the country’s capital, Pussy Riot inadvertently stirred painful memories, as well as challenged the political establishment, something that is hardly ever met with a soft response by Russian authorities.

“They are doing what the Bolsheviks did in the 20s and 30s,” a man taking part in an anti-Pussy Riot protest said in the documentary.

There is also the issue of feminism. The band - which still survives and is active despite its two jailed members - has always had a strong feminist agenda. For example, in the lyrics of one of their songs, they call for a female head of the Russian church.

The government sees feminism as a form of extremism, said freed band member Samutsevich during a Skype call with the audience in Sheffield. Recently, Patriarch Kirill - the head of the Russian Orthodox church - said feminism was a "very dangerous" phenomenon offering an illusion of freedom to women who should focus on their families and children.

“They are fighting against a male view of the world,” said a man protesting Pussy Riot in the documentary.

The current situation in Russia is chaotic, Samutsevich said.

After the Pussy Riot case, Russia took steps to curb dissent against religious beliefs. Last month, a bill proposing jail terms for offending religious feelings passed a second hearing in the Duma - the Russian lower house of parliament - nearing Putin’s signing.

Critics say the bill will give government-approved religious groups protection others lack and blur the line between church and state.

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