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| Protesters holding banners during a rally for Russian punk trio Pussy Riot in Jakarta on Monday. (JG Photo/Abdul Qowi Bastian). |
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About a
dozen Indonesian punks gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Kuningan, South
Jakarta, on Monday in an expression of solidarity with Pussy Riot supporters
around the world.
October 1
has been declared a global solidarity day to support the Russian female punk
rock band Pussy Riot, which is now serving a two-year prison sentence for
“hooliganism” after they held an impromptu show criticizing Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Monday's
action was a follow-up to last month's protest to demand the release of the
band. The group carried signs that read "World Punk Solidarity,"
"Free Pussy Riot" and "Punk is not a crime."
"Music
is not a crime. Music gives freedom to express yourself. If the government
can't listen to the people's aspirations through music, then we will take to
the streets demanding the disbandment of the nation," said Michael, one of
the protesters.
Michael
urged the Indonesian government to put pressure on its Russian counterpart to
free the band and to eradicate repressive actions in society.
The group's
actions, however, have also fostered irritation among many Russians over what
they perceive to be international meddling in their justice system.
"Why
do you think the internal issues of Russia should be included in the agenda of
bilateral relations between our countries?" Russian press attache Dmitry
Solodov wrote to the Jakarta Globe. "[Indonesian punks] do have the right
to appeal to anyone they want. However, since that vandal act was committed on
the territory of the Russian Federation, in a public place — orthodox church —
it is a matter of the Russian legislation system."
A Russian
court was set to hear on Monday an appeal filed by the three jailed members —
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29
— who were sentenced to two years imprisonment for performing a "punk
prayer" against the Russian president at Moscow's main cathedral.
The court
later postponed the appeal to Oct. 10 after Samutsevich announced at the
opening of the hearing that she fired her three lawyers over an unspecified
disagreement. Samutsevich said she found another lawyer but had failed to sign
a contract. Prosecutors condemned the move as a delaying tactic.
The band
members' imprisonment has become a symbol of the intolerance of dissent in
Putin's Russia and elicited strong international condemnation. Their cause has
been taken up by celebrities and musicians, including Madonna and Paul
McCartney, and protests have been held around the world.
On the
appeal hearing that was supposed to take place, band members said they wanted
Russian authorities to cancel a planned transfer to a remote penal colony.
"If
the [Moscow] court goes on with the plan to send them to a penal colony,
Indonesian punks won't stay still. It's inhumane to treat them like that. We
will stage a bigger protest," Michael said.
Additional reporting from Associated Press
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