Pussy Riot is again in the news and the Free Music Archive is once again featuring the Turn Me On, Dead Man compilation Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel? A Tribute to Pussy Riot. This compilation, which was originally released on December 23, 2013, collects songs recorded by fellow musicians in support of Pussy Riot during their incarceration. These songs are cover versions of Pussy Riot songs, expressions of solidarity, and calls for their release. All of the songs on Who Breaks a Butterfly upon a Wheel? were contributed by the artists under an Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivs Creative Commons license.
When Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were released from prison they made it clear they would not go away quietly. At a press conference held shortly after their release they reiterated their opposition to the regime of Vladimir Putin. Then earlier this month, After traveling to Asia and Europe, they performed at an Amnesty International benefit concert in New York with a variety of notable celebrities. The trip also included a memorable appearance on the Colbert Report.
Pussy Riot has also made their presence known at the Winter Olympics, now underway in the Russian city of Sochi. They were detained by the police, allegedly for stealing from their hotel. On February 19th Pussy Riot released a video called “Putin Will Teach You How to Love“.
The video, which shows members of Pussy Riot being harrassed by security forces at the Olympic Park in Sochi, demonstrates that Pussy Riot’s incarceration has done anything but silence them. Their commitment to freedom of expression, environmental protection and gay rights is stronger than ever and their status as global symbols of freedom and human rights continues to grow.