Posted on 08/23/2012 7:09:16 AM PDT by marshmallow
Moscow, August 23, Interfax - Moscow believes that Western evaluations of the court trial of members of Pussy Riot punk group are partly politically-motivated and thinks that the Christian roots of European civilization should not be forgotten.
"One can recognize that the case of the said punk group served only as a pretext for another wave of hasty, biased and politically-motivated evaluations. One gets the impression that for some human rights institutions and mass media a chance to kick another anti-Russian scandal is more important than the future of these young women," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said answering questions from the media.
He admitted "elements of a conflict of civilizations" in the situation. "Many people in the post-modernist West forget about the Christian roots of Europe and in addition to that don't want to respect the feelings of followers of other creeds believing that religion restricts democracy. They speak out for the full freedom of actions similar to the ones which made Pussy Riot ill-famed. However, we are convinced that it is harmful to forget the norms of morality that are common for all world religions. Both in our life and policy we try to stick to traditional values as well as intentional law," the diplomat's answers posted on the Foreign Ministry website say.
"As for unconventional values, they are permissible only there where they do not conflict the law or morality," he added.
"One should not forget that fundamental international legal tools of human rights imply that the freedom of expression is not absolute and is inseparable from certain restrictions," Lukashevich added.
He said that pursuant to Article 19.3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights dated December 16, 1966 states that the exercise of the right to expression "carries with it special duties and responsibilities" and "may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: for respect of the rights or reputations of others; for the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals."
Lukashevich also recalled that the European Convention on Human Rights dated November 4, 1950 in Article 10.2 implies that the exercise of the freedom of expression "may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or the rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary."
"These are legally binding commitments of all states and they must be observed," Lukashevich said.
He also recalled that in 2011 the art group Voina won the Innovation prize in visual arts in the nomination "Work of visual art".
"So the criticism of the restriction of the freedom of expression in art is clearly far-fetched," he said.
Lukashevich said that the action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was not the first controversial performance of Pussy Riot members who had earlier belonged to Voina.
"Those who have already familiarized themselves with 'the freedom of expression' of Voina group know what group action in the form of a sex orgy involving a pregnant woman they staged in a museum, how they used a dead chicken in their 'art' in the presence of a small child. For some reason the tolerant West did not express its indignation with their odd action of 'hanging' immigrant workers and representatives of sexual minorities in a big supermarket," Lukashevich said.
In his opinion, the essence of the Pussy Riot action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior has been forgotten.
Commenting on the support for punk group members by Western stars Lukashevich said: "Our opponents overlook the nature of the action of the punk group insulting millions of Orthodox Christians and people of other religions having traditional notions of morality."
The diplomat said that Moscow's Khamovnichesky court brought its sentence after thoroughly checking all the facts in the framework of acting norms of procedure and can be appealed by the defendants or their representatives in due order with higher instances.
He said that the judicial system in Russia is an independent branch of power. He recalled that President Vladimir Putin had spoken against an overly strict punishment of group members while the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church called for demonstrating mercy to the young women in case of their repentance. "Even though in a number of Western countries, such as Germany, Finland, Austria and others, stricter punishment is implied for attempts to obstruct church services and wearing masks in public places is forbidden," he added.
"The Christian roots of European civilization".........what an extraordinary thought! How novel and imaginative! < /s>
The Russians get it.
Just because Putin is an authoritarian ex-KGB man doesn’t automatically make what Pussy Riot did OK.
Unfortunately, the media still thinks that they were right about the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt too, so they’ll never learn.
Most of the English translations circulating the net have “mistakes” that led people to assume otherwise.
There have been many more “sensible” protests on this matter but their state media sensors all of it.
This act was so provocative and the punishment so harsh that the world can no longer ignore the corruption taking place there.
Its tough for a cold war kid to make the change, but I find myself agreeing with the Russians more & more these days.
These are not your father’s Russians.
And you believe them?
They should, they have personal experience in how the Bolsheviks take and consolidate power by destroying a culture's moral and ethical foundation on God's law.
Pussy Riot's agitation has nothing to do with free speech, it is intended to destroy the moral and ethical good of traditional Russian culture.
Yeah- sorry our white house is run by the panel on the “The View” with stupid comments about things that should be beneath the office.
The media are an integral part of the current ultra progressive socialist evil sweeping the world, and they know very well what they are doing, clinging to their power by propagandizing the ignorant.
Pussy Riot and the media are the same, and they both hate Putin.
Putin, though, is NOT our friend. Always remember that.
Same here, and I have figured out that Putin is not so communist, despite his past.
He is pro Russia, pro Slav, powerful, autocratic, willing to act, and has stones. He learns quickly and well, (most of his successes have been learned from US, Western European and media double crosses), and he acts in the interests of Russia.
Being as he is not American, I cannot expect him to act in the best interest of America, he's not supposed to.
Obama, DemoRats, and the American media ARE supposed to.
There are no “friends”, only interests.
Then they should have held their protest outside some administrative office, not in the Cathedral. Behavior has consequences.
It is obvious that the members of this punk band did not weigh the possible outcome of their actions. I wish that the members of Act Up and Wham who committed lewd acts in Cathedrals in the US would have gotten similar punishments.
Absolutely, and I always do.
Putin is not for America in any way, however there are occasions when America and Russia have common interests.
Removing Communism from Russia (and the United States) can make both nations disinterested competitors on the world market rather than a danger to one another.
Communism is the evil cancer, not the Russian people/culture or American people/culture.
Maybe we can all move to Russia if Obama is re-elected!
They had a mighty funny way of showing that.
Unfortunately Russia is a mixed bag. Their foreign policy is still 99.999% Soviet.
This bears repeating.
It should also be noted that the Russian Orthodox Church is controlled by the Russian Government, and has been controlled by them since World War II.
Define the “Hooliganism” conviction as something other than opposition to the Dictator Putin, and then I’ll listen.
Until then, you have a totalitarian Russia that should be opposed by Freedom Lovers.
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