Putin vs a Rock Band vs the Russian Orthodox Church

Pussy Riot - the name of a Russian rock band that has shaken both the Russian political establishment and the Russian Orthodox church during the summer.

The story found its way to the world's media particularly in the past two weeks, with a trial charging three members of the Moscow-based Russian feminist punk-rock band with "hooliganism." Founded just one year ago in August 2011, this band of seven young women stages politically provocative performances about Russian political life in unusual locations - on Red Square, on top of a trolleybus, on a scaffold in the Moscow Metro, or in the most recent and notorious instance, in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The performance, according to reports, occurred in February this year. It was a reciting of what is titled, Punk Prayer, in consecrated space within this famous church, along with dance choreography. The group's targeting of President Putin in church space was motivated by their opposition to the Russian President Vladimir Putin and questions regarding the political connections of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the time, the group's actions were stopped by church security officials.

A few weeks later, in early March after a video of the performance appeared online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALS92big4TY), three of the group members were arrested, leading to their trial five months later.

A sympathetic translation of the Punk Prayer lyrics read and shouted back in February can be read in full here ...http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/20/pussy-riot-punk-prayer-lyrics?newsfeed=true but two lines are sufficient to show how the performance and words offended both the church and the Russian president.

"Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish Putin, banish Putin,

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, banish him, we pray thee!"

Much of the Western media began to pick up on the story as the trial got underway, as the three women charged appeared in demure clothing and behavior, yet surrounded by serious Russian guards. The political theatre of the trail cage and state charges put the power of the Putin machinery on display.

The three punk band members charged are Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, left; Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22 center; and Maria Alekhina, 24 right.

It comes across as poor PR when heavy duty Russian guards stand intimidatingly over three slim, young women on trial; two of whom have small toddlers ...

The upshot to date is that the three have received sentences up to two years in jail for their disturbing the church and protesting the President. During and after the trial, significant protests have taken place in Moscow, elsewhere in Russia and in other European countries. President Putin has been put on the defensive, and the Russian Orthodox Church has been called into question for its ties to the political leadership.

Celebrities around the world, both respected and not so much, have jumped on the bandwagon. Gary Kasparov, Russian chess-playing icon has been arrested in Russia, and lo, even world-citizen, NY-based Madonna has cried out regarding the injustice of it all.

Kasparov, heading here to jail, may be soon on trial himself on charges of biting a police officer while protesting on behalf the the band

Madonna, wearing a jacket style often worn by Pussy Riot, is outraged over fellow pop stars in trouble.

From the Washington Post, we can read with some eyeball-rolling commentary regarding Madonna's outrage, but also a glimpse into the larger implications. "When the human rights activist Natalia Estimerova was murdered three years ago in Chechnya, she [Madonna] was silent. Nor did her Web site register the death of journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006. The fate of three fellow pop stars, however, is clearly different — and it is precisely that difference that poses an unusual challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Although it is often assumed otherwise, Putin’s regime has long permitted political dissent — so long as it appeals only to a small elite. Although most television stations are controlled in one way or another by the Kremlin, a few low-circulation newspapers have long been allowed to keep up some criticism. Although anyone with real potential to oppose Putin was put under financial or judicial pressure — or, in some cases, arrested or murdered — other critics have been allowed to keep talking, as long as too many people aren’t listening. The Internet is controlled in Russia, as it is in China, Iran and other authoritarian states, but with a relatively light hand: Confident that not many Russians read human rights Web sites anyway, the regime never bothered to block all of them.

At least until now, this formula has worked. Indeed, the genius of Putinism has always been its ability to keep the apolitical masses ignorant of or apathetic about the regime’s opponents, while at the same time eschewing mass arrests. Putin understood this very well: The modern elite Russian doesn’t want to live in a pariah state, and he doesn’t want to be cut off from the outside world. He might not care if his foreign friends think Russia unpleasant, but he isn’t keen to be compared to North Korea either. Putin’s solution was to keep the pressure on serious opponents while studiously ignoring those he deemed un-serious. Political speech is controlled, but entertainment media are free. "

All this has worked up till now. And while the Washington Post and most Western media has focused on the embarrassment of Putin, a few commentators have noted that the Russian Orthodox Church has been caught up in this as well. Two articles that focus on the church will be posted in "Comments."

The latest Chinese dissident

When considering writing anything about China (or India), the challenge is to avoid generalizing - as, after all, each country has over a billion people. On the other hand, one can say probably anything about human behavior in either of the two countries, and be likely to have accurately described at least one individual ...

Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese activist shown here in dark glasses with his wife, Yuan Weijing, and TWO children, son Chen Derui and daughter Chen Kesi. The second child, daughter Chen Kesi, was welcomed by Chen and Yuan in defiance of China's one child policy.

So the latest media frenzy is over a Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng. That he is blind adds to the media interest. Over the past week, the story erupted that the 40 year old activist escaped from house arrest on April 22 at night climbing over his compound walls, and slipping past "multiple cordons of guards." A chain of human rights activists then smuggled him into Beijing, where he reached the U.S. Embassy.

Guangcheng's route from house arrest in his home town of Dongshigu to possible freedom in Beijing, 300 miles north. Note the town of Linyi just to the south of Dongshigu - more on that city later.

Guangcheng apparently spent six days in the US embassy, infuriating the Chinese leadership who regard the American involvement as unwelcome meddling in their internal affairs. The US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, former Washington state Governor (and of Chinese origin himself) was verbally attacked for being a key player in the drama, with one main official Chinese newspaper calling him "a backpack-wearing, Starbucks-sipping troublemaker."

Caught up in the hourly drama of what to do with Guangcheng, US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, on the phone, with translator and Guangcheng in a limousine.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a high-level meeting scheduled before Guangcheng made his escape, so tensions were higher at the meeting itself, now that both the US and China had to save face and deal with this one individual in the middle of larger discussions around loans, debt, trade, human rights in general, and security matters. Just before she arrived in Beijing, an "understanding" was announced that Guangcheng would receive treatment at a Chinese hospital (he had injured himself during the escape), and that arrangements were being made for him to come to the US (and his family) to pursue studies at an American university in the near future.

Amid the furore, pomp and circumstance of a high-level state-to-state visit went on.

As of today, after Clinton left Beijing to return to the US, journalists are writing articles of concern that perhaps Guangcheng may not be able to leave China after all ... The question, as we noted in another post on Chinese dissidents (November 19, 2011) is whether Guangcheng's moment of fame in the Western press is over, and his issue is equally forgotten. Oh yes, hard to find among all the reports this past week, was what exactly was Guangcheng's issue of dissent?

What was Guangcheng protesting or over what issue had he become an activist?

Chen Guangcheng exposed the systematic use of forced abortion and sterilization in Linyi City in 2005. He was challenging the day-to-day implementation of China's one child policy - in place since 1978. From Wikipedia, we can read a very studiously "neutral" overview of this policy: The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy. It officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child, while allowing exemptions for several cases, including residents of Hong Kong and Macau, foreigners living in China, rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without any siblings themselves. A spokesperson of the Committee on the One-Child Policy has said that approximately 35.9% of China's population is currently subject to the one-child restriction... It was created by the Chinese government to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems in China, and authorities claim that the policy has prevented between 250 and 300 million births from its implementation until 2000, and 400 million births from 1979 to 2011. ... A 2008 survey undertaken by the Pew Research Center reported that 76% of the Chinese population supports the policy."

Other views of the one child policy

One result of China's one child policy is a very high male to female ratio. (Pink = Female higher than male;
Green = Equal; Blue = Male higher than female). A Time magazine article notes that a recent study published in the British Medical Journal found China still has 32 million more boys than girls under the age of 20. The total number of young people is a problem as well; factories have reported youth-labor shortages in recent years, a problem that will only get worse. In 2007 there were six adults of working age for every retiree, but by 2040 that ratio is expected to drop to 2 to 1. Analysts fear that with too few children to care for them, China's elderly people will suffer neglect." http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1912861,00.html#ixzz1u1tR3XBy

Guangcheng clearly takes a much darker view than the official Chinese government, the curious study by PEW, and the demographics noted in the Time magazine article. After his 2005 act of resistance by publicizing how the policy was implemented in Linyi city, he was jailed, tortured and denied medical treatment for the next four years. After being released from prison in 2010, Chen was placed under house arrest and closely monitored at his home village. He and his wife then attempted to communicate via video tape and written communication. The government responded by beating Chen and his wife, confiscating documents and communication devices in their possession, cutting off electric power, and installing metal sheets over the windows of their house... The summary here comes from several articles and reports - one can choose what level of emotion and wording to believe, but the gist is clear enough. (See http://www.lighthonestyhrd.org/chen.html for a detailed account)

Let's think about this a minute: A government policy that forces women to have abortions or be sterilized "for the greater needs of society," as the state perceives it.

Guangcheng with daughter in their home, in this frame taken from video footage during his house arrest years. Having that second child, a daughter no less, was a much greater "statement" than us Westerners readily understand.

So on we go, China being a major rising power, clearly unready to allow significant dissent from its official policies. The other nation in the drama, the US, is trapped into a complex set of policies with China. One policy of encouraging trade and development - the result is the vast quantity of Chinese goods sold in the US is calculated on the premise that economic growth would eventually transform Chinese governance into an enlightened form (not sure we're there yet). On the other hand, the US is borrowing major amounts of money from China to fund its own deficit spending, even while maneuvering militarily to slow China's Pacific territorial claims, and counter its forceful search for global resources in other parts of the world.

China's dissidents

Stories from China shouldn't be that hard to find, and considering the size and potential of the country in geopolitical terms, nearly any story would likely be news worth reading. Nevertheless, it is easy to overlook China in favor of what Teatree is more familiar and interested with.

China is actually quite close in size to the United States. Its population of 1.34 billion is four times that of the US

An artist dissident however captures my attention, and so here's a brief look at Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. A "facts only" review of WeiWei might go like this:

"Ai Weiwei (born 18 May 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, active in sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social, political and cultural criticism. Ai collaborated with Swiss architects as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. As a political activist, he has been highly and openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of so-called "tofu-skin schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, Weiwei was arrested at Beijing airport in April, then held for over two months without any official charges being filed, though finally officials alluded to their allegations of "economic crimes" (tax evasion)."

54 yr old Ai Weiwei (apparently Ai is the family name)

What makes this story begin to take off is to hear a bit of the laws Weiwei has to navigate in fighting against the charges. In order to challenge the official charge of tax evasion (which has been set at the equivalent of $2.4 million in back taxes) Weiwei apparently has to pay the tax bureau up front $1.3 million in order to even secure the right to read the formal administrative review of his case. Interesting laws in China ...

The story twists further however, as Chinese all around the country raised that money with small donations sent to him online. And Weiwei says that if he wins his case against the tax bureau, he'll repay each of those who donated.

Weiwei just a few days ago walking to his lawyer's office in Beijing to discuss the tax evasion cases

Having become somewhat of a public figure, Weiwei, surrounded by television reporters outside the tax bureau, said tax authorities told him they will “carefully handle” an administrative review in which a panel re-examines the merits of an official decision to bill him 15 million yuan.

“I’m speaking up, not for myself, but for those who have no voice,” Ai, 54, told Reuters in an interview at his home and studio in northeastern Beijing. “I hope that when society looks at me, they’ll remember that I’m not an individual case,” he said. “Many people don’t understand why they can’t be with their children, they aren’t able to see the people they want to see. Their voices will never be heard,” he said.

In an interview with CNN, Ai said he had little hope of winning a court case but he hopes to score a moral victory over the government:

Weiwei's wide ranging art

Weiwei challenges a lot of the status quo in not too subtle ways ...

Weiwei's recent nude photography work has placed him in further trouble with authorities who are now charging him with pornography.

However, from a Chinese blogger, let's hear a different perspective:

[Ai Weiwei symbolizes the “political dissident” that the Western world supports with all their might. All Chinese people who are interested in politics know who he is. Ordinary Chinese who never heard of him or cannot recall who he is mostly have no interest in his kind of games of political opposition.

The West has supported many Chinese “dissidents.” The Western press once widely called Wei Jingsheng “the father of Chinese democracy.” That “father” is now in some corner of the United States carrying out “small actions” that Western reporters don’t even bother reporting on.

Ai Weiwei​ is just the freshest name on a very long list of people who have mostly been forgotten. The West supports Ai Weiwei and the others on the list, so small circles of people who surround them form in Chinese society. People like Ai Weiwei shouldn’t think that the reason those small circles don’t extend to all of society is all because of “government repression.” True popular sentiment cannot be suppressed. Over the past 30 years, “Ai Weiweis” have periodically sprouted up only to crash to earth like a meteor. Contrary to their predictions, China has only continued its rise. Their elimination through this great progress is the true trend of society.]

Regardless of the sobering blog viewpoint above, there remains, with or without Western support or awareness, an equally true stream of resistance and independent thought among the Chinese. The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner, for example is another Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Liu was enduring his fourth prison term, when given the award. He is the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China, and the third person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison or detention. (Germany's Carl von Ossietzky (1935) and Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi (1991). Liu is also the first person since Ossietzky to be denied the right to have a representative collect the Nobel prize for him.

Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia - equally suffering from separation during Liu Xiaobo's prison time.