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Pussy Riot release new video criticizing Putin

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - 01:13

July 17 - Russian activist punk band Pussy Riot release their first video in almost a year, criticizing Vladimir Putin and his allies in the energy sector. Jessica Gray reports.

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A new video from Russian punk band Pussy Riot, the first to be released on YouTube in almost a year. In it, four members dance on an oil pipeline in garish masks, comparing President Vladimir Putin to "an ayatollah in Iran" and accusing him of being homophobic. They also attack Putin allies in Russia's rich energy sector and claim only the country's elite benefit from the industry's wealth. Speaking to Reuters from Moscow on Tuesday, bandmate "Grelka" said the lyrics were written by each of the women who make up the group, with some of the lines smuggled out of a penal colony. Two Pussy Riot members remain imprisoned on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for this protest filmed in a cathedral in February 2012. A third was released earlier this year. Pussy Riot is among several opposition activist and human rights groups who accuse the government of cracking down on dissent since Putin returned to power last year following mass protests against his 13-year rule.

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