Pussy Riot band members Maria Alekhina and Nadia Tolokonnikova have just launched an independent Russian news outlet called MediaZona which focuses on Russia’s courts, law enforcement and prison system.
Click here to visit the website.
The Russian punk-rock band is known for being politically active. Members of Pussy Riot work to promote women’s rights, as well as LGBT rights. They also comment on the unethical actions of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. They call attention to these issues by staging performances in public areas, which they videotape and post online.
In the past, Alekhina, Tolokonnikova and other members have been arrested for doing performance protests against Putin.
Before this, Alyekhina and Tolokonnikova also started a prison rights campaign in Saransk called Zona Prava, coming to the defense of those who protest against the way Vladmir Putin governs.
MediaZona is supposed to work alongside Zona Prava. The media outlet will monitor conditions in Russian prisons, courts and police stations. Russia’s famous political journalist Sergey Smirnov is editor in chief of MediaZona.
There has recently been a heavy censorship by Russian authorities on the news. Therefore, the media is lacking criticism of Putin’s policies, as well as the injustices of the courts and law enforcement. This is the space MediaZona hopes to fill.
This continues what Pussy Riot was attempting to accomplish with their performances: spreading information.
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