In the past weeks the Russian judiciary has missed the chance to end the infamous prosecution of Pussy Riot. The sentence in the first instance as such, and the fact that there was a trial at all, is a disgrace! It is another example of how Putin’s system is trying to shut up a whole generation of artists and keep them from expressing themselves in art, culture and civil society.
APPEAL
In the past weeks the Russian judiciary has missed the chance to end the infamous prosecution of Pussy Riot. The sentence in the first instance as such, and the fact that there was a trial at all, is a disgrace! It is another example of how Putin’s system is trying to shut up a whole generation of artists and keep them from expressing themselves in art, culture and civil society.
The international literature festival berlin (ilb), writers and intellectuals from the whole world pay reverence to Nadeshda Tolokonnikova, Jekatarina Samuzewicz, and Maria Alechina, whose artistic initiative in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour has shown that there is another Russia, a country that does not tolerate bans on freedom of opinion and the ways these manifest themselves in and are imposed by the church or the ruling classes. In view of the dictatorial traits of Putin’s regime, evidenced by Russia’s permanent veto in the UN Security Council in association with China, which shows the country’s particular understanding of democracy and humanity, we need to express our solidarity with the punk band and the civil society institutions, who are being criminalized by a new law. This is a European and an international necessity!
In August the ilb launched an appeal and invited artists and intellectuals, schools and universities, radio and TV stations, theatres and other cultural institutions to join us for a worldwide reading in solidarity with Pussy Riot and the democratic groups in Russia on 12 December 2012. It was the 12th of December when, in 1993, in a general referendum, the constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by the DUMA. It is not Pussy Riot who is undermining Russian democracy, but those who are trying to kill the achievements made by the soft revolution at the end of the last century.
We will read parts of the statements of Pussy Riot at court. The ilb has published these texts in English, German, Russian, and parts in French and Spanish on www.worldwide-reading.com
All those who want to join us for the reading, please send your proposal for a performance to: worldwidereading@literaturfestival.com
SIGNATORIES
Hector Abad (Colombia) | Zsuzsa Bánk (Germany) | Jeanne Benameur (France) | Mirko Bonné (Germany) | James Byrne (UK) | Amir Hassan Cheheltan (Persia) | Bora Cosic (Serbia) | Marie Darrieussecq (France) | Dorothea Dieckmann (Germany) | Arnd | Gretel & Beatrice Dossi (Germany) | Reimer Eilers (Germany) | Peter Faecke (Germany) | Dieter M. Gräf (Germany) | Gintaras Grajauskas (Lithuania) | Lars Gustafsson (Sweden) | Alban Nikolai Herbst (Germany)| Uwe Herms (Germany) | Hendrik Jackson (Germany) | Willi Jasper (Germany) | Elfriede Jelinek (Austria) | Lidija Klasic (Croatia/ Germany) | Peter Kleiß (Germany) | Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru/ Spain) | Ekke Maaß (Germany) | Norman Manea (Romania) | Alberto Manguel (Argentina) | Sonja Margolina (Russia) | Amanda Michalopoulou (Greece) | Bart Moeyaert (Belgium) | Melinda Nadj Abonji (Switzerland) | Tim Parks (UK) | Elisabeth Plessen (Germany) | Martin Pollack (Austria) | Santiago Roncagliolo (Peru) | Annika Scheffel (Germany) | Robert Schindel (Austria) | Jenny Schon (Germany) | Raoul Schrott (Austria) | Sjón (Iceland) | Rebecca Solnit (USA) | C.K. Stead (New Zealand) | Antje Rávic Strubel (Germany) | Hans Thill (Germany) | Ted van Lieshout (Netherlands) | Vladimir Vertlib (Austria/ Russia) | Herbert Wiesner (Germany) | Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukrainia) | Jenni Zylka (Germany)
TEXTS
GERMAN
Punk-Gebet in der Christ-Erlöser-Kathedrale (deutsch)
Schlussplädoyer Marija Aljochina (deutsch)
Schlussplädoyer Jekaterina Samuzewitsch (deutsch)
Schlussplädoyer Nadežda Tolokonnikova (deutsch)
RUSSIAN
Punk-Prayer “Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away” (Russian)
Closing Statement Marija Aljochina (Russian)
Closing Statement Jekaterina Samuzewitsch (Russian)
Closing Statement Nadežda Tolokonnikova (Russian)
FRENCH
Closing Statement Marija Aljochina (French)
ESPERANTO
Schlussplädoyer Jekaterina Samuzewitsch (esperanto)
PARTICIPANTS
Aalen (Theater Aalen) | Athens (Feministiko Kentro in Athen) | Basel(Das Kleine Literaturhaus Basel) | Berlin(internationales literaturfestival berlin) | Berlin (GAINSBOURG) | Drösing(Driesch Verlag)| Frankfurt (Main) (Schauspiel Frankfurt) | Fulda(Café Chaos Studierendencafé des AStA HochschuleFulda / Buchhandlung Ulenspiegel) | Haidhausen(Haidhauser Fensterlesung) | Hamburg(GWA St PAuli / KÖLIBRI) | Hamburg (Institut für angewandte Kulturforschung (p)ostkarte(ll)) | Hamburg (monsun theater) | Hamburg (Edition Nautilus) | Innsbruck(Freies Radio Innsbruck) | London (English PEN, Index on Censorship, ARTICLE 19, Free Word Centre) | Melbourne (Melbourne Centre of PEN Int.) | Moskow(feminists school Moscow) | Oelde (Museum für Westfälische Literatur) | Rabat(Goethe-Institut Rabat/Casablanca) | Rostock(Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock) | Saarbrücken(Saarländisches Staatstheater) | Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara City College) | Stavanger (Kapittel International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech) | Strasbourg(Die Grünen-EFA im Europäischen Parlament) | Toulouse(Ôbohem Bar culturel 2) | Worms (Ki School for living arts)
DOCUMENTATION
PRESS
“Чтение вслух как знак поддержки Pussy Riot” / radio svoboda 15.12.2012
Берлинский международный литературный фестиваль, ежегодно собирающий в столице Германии писателей…
“Solidarisches Lesen für Pussy Riot” / Basellandschaftliche Zeitung 14.12.2012
“Pussy-Plädoyers” / DER TAGESSPIEGEL 14.12.2012
“Ein Ave Marie für die Freiheit” / SCHWÄBISCHE POST 13.12.2012
“Weltweite Lesung für Pussy Riot” / swr2 13.12.2012
“Die Suche nach Wahrheit, das Gegenteil von Stabilität” / blouinartinfo 13.12.2012
“Lesung für Pussy Riot in Berlin” / inforadio 13.12.2012
“Deutsches Werk und Russlands Beitrag: Welt liest für Pussy Riot” / RIA NOWOSTI, Moskau 13.12.2012
“Trauer und Entsetzen über russische Zustände” / dradio.de 12.12.2012
“Sint adventskveld for Pussy Riot” / Aftonbladet 12.12.2012
“Frau Merkel übernehmen Sie!” / deutschlandradio kultur 12.12.2012
“Weltweite Lesung für Pussy Riot” / Missy Magazine 12.12.2012
“Публичные чтения заявлений Pussy Riot” / inopressa.ru 12.12.2012
“Weltweite Solidarität für Pussy Riot” / Die Welt 12.12.2012
“Den neuralgischen Punkt getroffen” / taz 12.12.2012
“Worte des Widerstandes”/ Schwäbische Post 05.12.2012
“Free Pussy Riot!” / schirn-magazin.de 04.12.2012
“Lesen für Pussy Riot” / hamburg.de 04.12.2012
“Pussy Riot: neues Verbot, neue Proteste” / DER TAGESSPIEGEL 30.11.2012
“Lesung für Pussy Riot” / Neues Deutschland 29.11.2012
“Nicht mundtot machen lassen” / Börsenblatt 29.11.2012
“Weltweite Lesung zugunsten von „Pussy Riot“ / Echo Online 28.11.2012
“Festival ruft zu weltweiter Lesung für Pussy Riot auf” / Westfälische Nachrichten 28.11.2012
“Festival ruft zu Lesung für Pussy Riot auf” / Die Welt 28.11.2012
Der Appell richtet sich an Kultureinrichtungen, Schulen, Radiosender und andere Interessierte. Mehr erfahren Sie hier…
“Lesen für Pussy Riot!” / hamburg.de 28.11.2012
“Festival ruft zu weltweiter Lesung für Pussy Riot auf” / Sächsiche Zeitung 28.11.2012
“Festival ruft zu Lesung für Pussy Riot auf” / 3sat 28.11.2012
“internationales literaturfestival berlin: Aufruf zu einer weltweiten Lesung für Pussy Riot am 12. Dezember”/ buchmarkt.de 10.10.2012
“Nobelpreisträger solidarisieren sich mit Pussy Riot” / Börsenblatt 21.08.2012
“Nobelpreisträger lesen für Pussy Riot” / Spiegel 17.08.2012