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Judgment against Pussy Riot cause for concern

Three of the members of the punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison after a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. (Photo: Pussy Riot/Live Journal)

In the view of the Norwegian authorities, the sentence of two years’ imprisonment imposed on the three women of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot gives cause for concern, says Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre comments that “the judgment is out of step with the fundamental right of freedom of expression and the right to engage in alternative forms of expression, and is a breach of clear European norms.” 

The verdict against the members of the punk band “Pussy Riot” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samutsevitch, two of them mothers of small children, has attracted widespread attention both in Russia and internationally. 

“The judgment also seems to violate the principle that the seriousness of the sentence should correspond to that of the crime. The way the trial against the three women has been carried out doesn’t seem to have complied with generally expected legal standards. This sentence is part of a broader pattern we are seeing of human rights coming under pressure in Russia, and gives cause for concern”, the Government’s web site reads.

Also EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton believes the sentence is disproportionate. In a statement sent out on the day of the verdict she says that she is “deeply disappointed with the verdict of the Khamovnichesky District Court”. The trial “puts a serious question mark over Russia’s respect for international obligations of fair, transparent, and independent legal process. It also runs counter to Russia’s international obligations as regards respect for freedom of expression”, the statement continues.   

According to Ashton the case adds to the recent upsurge in politically motivated intimidation and prosecution of opposition activists in the Russian Federation, a trend that is of growing concern to the European Union. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is an indispensable part of the EU-Russia relationship, she states.  

Oil and gas before human rights
Human rights organizations in Norway points out that the human rights situation in Russia has gone from bad to worse with the Pussy Riot case and think Støre is too soft in his criticism of the judgment:

“One should expect the Minister of Foreign Affairs to be much clearer than he has been so far. This is not only a question about the three women that are going to prison, but also a signal of the freedom of speech being in retreat in Russia”, General Secretary of Amnesty International Norway John Peder Egenæs says to Aftenposten.

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee fears that human rights questions are losing in the fight between interests: 

“We have long been saying that Norway is extremely careful in its relations to Russia and that human rights questions are not sufficiently emphasized in Norwegian political considerations”, General Secretary Bjørn Engesland says to Aftenposten. “Oil and petroleum in the High North and a wish of having a quiet relationship to a super power neighbor seem to weigh more”, he adds.