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  • 4 weeks later...

Fala Olimpijadi... -_-

Leaked: Pussy Riot, Greenpeace activists will be freed under amnestyPublished time: December 09, 2013 15:51Edited time: December 09, 2013 17:51 000_par7700760.si.jpgHonorary President of non-profit organisation ATTAC, Susan George (Center L), holds a sign bearing the portrait of a jailed Greenpeace activist alongside other protesters taking part in a demonstration calling for the release of a group of Greenpeace activists imprisoned in Russia, on October 31, 2013, in Paris. (AFP Photo / Pierre Andrieu)The members of the Pussy Riot punk band, Greenpeace activists and protesters jailed after the May 2012 Bolotnaya demonstration will be freed in an amnesty dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution, Izvestia newspaper claims.A total of 25,000 people will be freed under the amnesty initiated by President Putin, Interfax cited Vladimir Vasilyev, deputy speaker of parliament, as saying.“Around 1,300 people will be released from prison, and 17,500 people will be relieved of non-custodial sentences. In addition, criminal proceedings against nearly 6,000 can be terminated,” Vasilyev said.Several Russian media including Izvestia and Vedomosti newspapers have obtained a copy of the draft amnesty, which was submitted to the parliament by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.According to the papers, the participants in such high-profile cases as the Pussy Riot Cathedral protest, Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise boarding of an oil rig and the Bolotnaya Square riots will all be granted amnesty.The upcoming amnesty won’t apply to those who committed crimes that posed a serious danger to society, Vladimir Vasilyev said, adding that the amnesty will give preference to convicts in vulnerable social categories and people who have served the country.It will favor minors, mothers with small children, pregnant women, women over 55 and men over 60, the disabled, Chernobyl cleanup workers and military veterans, he said.The amnesty will be adopted before the end of the year and implemented within the next six months, a high-ranked source in the parliament told Izvestia.Russia celebrates the 20th anniversary of the country’s Constitution on December 12.Three members of the Pussy Riot punk band were each sentenced to two years in prison after staging a protest in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in February 2012, although one member of the band was later released on appeal.The 30 Greenpeace activists are currently on bail and awaiting trial after an attempt to board Russia’s Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Barents Sea this September.The so-called Bolotnaya prisoners are people who were detained following riots on Bolotnaya Square in central Moscow in May 2012.
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E bas to.No, drago mi je zbog ovih ljudi. Nadam se da ce neki buduci aktivisti prestati da Rusiju tretiraju kao pravnu drzavu. Ako Putin naredi, mogu da te proglase za pirata, geja, huligana, you name it, i onda ides u Sibir, dok Putin ne naredi nesto drugo.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Nadežda Tolokonikova – intervjuLenta.ru | 30/12/2013%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81-%D0%A1%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2.jpgRazgovor vodila Svetlana RejterU ponedeljak 23. decembra Nadežda Tolokonikova je po objavljenoj amnestiji izašla na slobodu. Već u utorak se srela sa Marijom Aljohinom, drugom članicom grupe Pussy Riot koja je takođe amnestirana. Aljohina je svoju kaznu izdržavala u Nižegorodskoj oblasti, i radi dogovaro o „zajedničkim projektima na zaštiti ljudskih prava“, odmah je doletela kod svoje drugarice u Krasnojarsk. Prvo čime njih dve imaju nameru da se bave je insistiranje na ostavci generala Olega Simčenkova, načelnika uprave Federalne službe za izdržavanje kazni u Mordoviji. U protivnom, tvrdi Nadežda Tolokonikova, u mordovskim zatvorima se ništa neće promeniti. Tamo će i dalje „ubijati ljude – moralno i fizički“.Ostatak kazne Tolokonikova je izdržavala u krasnojarskoj bolnici. Članica grupe Pussy Riot prebačena je u Krasnojarsk nakon žalbe na rukovodstvo mordovskog zatvora IK-14 (tamo se nalazila do novembra 2013) i posle dugotrajnog štrajka glađu. Krajem septembra 2013, lenta.ru je objavila pismo aktivistkinje u kojem ona navodi masovna kršenja prava žena osuđenih na prinudni rad. Pismo je imalo veliki odjek u Rusiji i na Zapadu.Dok sam te čekala, u lobiju hotela sam prisluškivala razgovor dvojice ljudi banditskog izgleda, u belim košuljama, crnim leptir mašnama i s debelim cigarama u zubima. Kada te je video kako ulaziš, jedan od njih je upitao: „I koliko je ona odležala?“ A ovaj mu odgovara: „Dve godine“. Drugi je ljutito opsovao: „U Staljinovo vreme bi je za to odmah streljali! Ona je bre ušla u crkvu i na sve ikone se posrala. I za tako nešto – samo dve godine?“ Da li se često susrećeš sa agresivnim reakcijama?Ne. Meni po pravilu takve stvari ne govore u oči. Za to je potrebna posebna vrsta hrabrosti.Šta pod tim podrazumevaš?Kada ne vide čoveka o kome je reč, ljudi na njegov račun lako donose zaključke, često uvredljive. Jako je malo onih koji su spremni da tako nešto kažu gledajući me u oči. A ljude koji nemaju hrabrosti da svoje mišljenje preda mnom izgovore prosto ne primećujem. Za svaku izgovorenu reč se mora snositi odgovornost, a na one koji nisu spremni da ta pitanja zajedno sa mnom pretresu ne obraćam pažnju.Dobro. A šta ako neki slični njima ipak odluče da ti te iste stvari govore gledajući te u oči?Ništa. Onda ćemo porazgovarati. Nešto slično mi se već događalo sa zatvorenicima u istražnom zatvoru i tada sam uspevala da odbranim svoju poziciju. Ukazivala sam im na političke elemente naše akcije, objašnjavala im da u stvarnosti cela stvar stoji malo drugačije, kao i to da je osnovni smisao naše akcije bio nešto drugačiji od onoga kako se to prikazuje na državnoj televiziji. I po pravilu, moji argumenti su stizali do svesti ljudi. Ne kažem da su oni odmah promenili svoje mišljenje, ali nesumnjivo je da su razumeli da pred njima ne stoji nekakva histrična ludača s budalastim antireligioznim idejama u glavi, već neko ko je spreman da se bori za svoj stav i svoje poglede na svet.A ja mislim da je to uvredljivo: ti uz pomoć savremene umetnosti hoćeš svetu da pokažeš svoje ideale, a svet će – „Ma ona se na ikone posrala!“Prvo, da bi se bilo šta u tom smislu promenilo, neophodno je da se vlast nad federalnim televizijskim kanalima preda u ruke ljudi čija su politička ubeđenja drugačija od onih koje je usvojila država. Drugo, reakcija na savremenu umetnost je bila, jeste i uvek će biti negativna. Savremeni umetnik nije novčanica od sto dolara, pa da se svima sviđa. Od samog početka XX veka, savremeni umetnik je čovek koji postavlja nezgodna pitanja koja provociraju društvo, pitanja koja ga razotkrivaju. Počelo je sa avangardom, a potom su to vrlo uspešno preuzeli dadaisti koji su bez okolišanja govorili da je umetnost bomba koja mora da eksplodira. Kada se događa suprotno, to više nije umetnost. I sviđalo se to nekom ili ne, dadaisti su klasici savremene umetnosti. Danas se s tim mora računati. Ima i onih kojima se ne sviđa kako je slikao Ajvazovski…A nekome se ne sviđa to što je radio Marsel Dišan. Da li smatraš da i vaša akcija pripada klasici savremene umetnosti?Da. Mislim da je to već gotova činjenica.Kako ja razumem, ti si glavni ideolog grupe Pussy Riot.Mi smo kontinuirano i na razne načine počeli da se izjašnjavamo onog trenutka kada se dogodila ona monstruozna rokada i kada je postalo jasno da Putin ima nameru da realizuje svoj treći predsednički mandat. Oni nikoga ništa nisu pitali. Prosto su sve nas, ogromnu većinu ljudi širom zemlje, stavili pred svršen čin. Ta činjenica je inicirala osnivanje grupe Pussy Riot i naše akcije su bile diktirane jakim emocijama. Ta njihova rokada se naravno tiče svih, a njeni neposredni učesnici ama baš nikoga ništa nisu pitali.Tog trenutka sam shvatila da više neću moći da živim onako kako sam živela do tada i da sve vreme koje mogu da otrgnem od života moram utrošiti na to da što glasnije, iz sve snage o tome vičem. Koji arsenal sam za to imala? Na raspolaganju mi je bio uobičajeni arsenal sredstava savremene umetnosti – aktivizam. Grupa tada još uvek nije imala ime i budući da je bilo malo vremena, odlučili smo da iskoristimo ono što imamo. Reagovali smo onako kako smo umeli.U razgovor se umešao Pjotr Verzilov, muž Nadežde Tolokonikove: “Da naručim nešto? Šta bi htela da jedeš?“ Tolokonikova odgovara: “Potpuno mi je svejedno. Ono što bih htela je da me niko ne prekida dok govorim.“ Verzilov: “Sorry, sorry.“Zbog čega baš ti, Nadežda Tolokonikova, ne voliš Putina?Čini se da bi meni trebalo da bude lako da odgovorim na ovo pitanje, posle toliko vremena provedenog iza rešetaka, gde sam prošla kroz dosta ozbiljna iskušenja zahvaljujući tom čoveku. Ali kada izgovaram Vladimir Putin, ja ne mislim na određenog čoveka. Umetnici se izražavaju u metaforama: kada izgovaramo „jedro“, mi mislimo na „brod“, a kada govorimo „Putin“, mislimo na politički sistem koji je on stvorio. Taj čovek mi je oduzeo nekoliko godina života i to je lako izmeriva i teška činjenica. Istina, to nam je istovremeno pomoglo da steknemo i neka iskustva koja ćemo ubuduće koristiti u pozitivnom ključu i svim silama se truditi da ta iskustva ne zaboravimo.A šta je bilo do tih iskustava? Ja sam dosta rano počela da se interesujem za politiku. Tako se desilo. U politiku me je možda uvukao moj tata, koji je inače odličan tip. Bilo mi je nešto više od 10 godina i ja sam ga zamolila: „Tata, kupi mi Cosmopolitan“, a on mi je odgovorio: „Ma kakav Cosmopolitan?! Čitaj Vlast ili Itogi“. On me je naučio da slušam Radio Eho Moskve. U početku mnogo toga nisam razumela, ali sam vremenom naučila.Zatim sam se upisala na filozofski fakultet, gde me je najviše interesovala socijalna filozofija. Jer bez prethodnog osmišljavanja političkih sistema, u filozofiji se malo šta može postići. I tada sam doživela duboko razočarenje. Pokazalo se da je filizofski fakultet, na koji sam se upisala nošena bezumnom radošću i nadom, u stvari neverovatno nazadna ustanova. Ogromna količina ključnih tekstova ni do danas nije prevedena na ruski jezik. Videla sam i ko se bavi prevođenjem tih tekstova. To su neki sumanuti ljudi kojima taj rad niko ne plaća i koji za svoj novac izdaju knjige koje su neprocenjivo važne za savremenu rusku kulturu. To su neki čudaci, maltene jurodivi koji te svoje prevode izdaju s gotovo religioznim ushićenjem.Deo programa sam morala da savladavam koristeći se literaturom na engleskom, i tada se u mojoj glavi javilo pitanje: kako je moguće da na filozofskom fakultetu Moskovskog državnog univerziteta (МГУ), najprogresivnije visokoškolske ustanove u zemlji, vlada takvo nazadnjaštvo, takvo duhovno mračnjaštvo.I kako to povezuješ sa Putinom?Veoma prosto: sistem koji vlada zemljom tesno je povezan sa time kako funkcioniše sistem obrazovanja u celini. Forma i struktura funkcionisanja filozofskog fakulteta se može uporediti sa bilo kojom ustanovom u zemlji. Na filozofskom fakultetu nigde nećeš naći bilo kakav oblik javno deklarisane namere kojom bi studenti bili podstaknuti na razvoj sopstvenog mišljenja. O drugim institucijama i da ne govorimo. A kada se nešto tako i pored svega ipak dogodi, to je uvek uprkos, a ne zahvaljujući sistemu.Nekoliko dana posle tvog čuvenog otvorenog pisma o uslovima života u zatvoru, druga zatvorenica, nacionalistkinja Evgenija Hasis, napisala je odgovor. U njenom pismu je pisalo da je zatvorenički život tekao skladno i mirno, sve dok se odjednom nije pojavila nekakva ludača koja je sa dušekom u rukama počela da trči po hodnicima i viče: „Ja ću vas sve spasti!“To nisu reči koje sam ja uzvikivala. Ja nikome nisam nametala svoju pomoć. Bila je to moja lična, duboko otpaćena etička odluka. Shvatila sam da ako ne učinim neki zaista radikalan gest, ako ne pokušam da promenim sam stil odnosa koji vlada između zatvorenica i zatvorske administracije, u dogledno vreme se u našem zatvoru ništa dobro neće dogoditi. Zatvorski režim je postajao sve suroviji, a broj radnih sati se iz meseca u mesec povećavao.Šta misliš, zašto je baš tvoje pismo imalo toliki odjek? Do tebe su mnogi zaštitnici ljudskih prava pokušavali da privuku pažnju javnosti na stanje koje vlada u ženskim zatvorima. Tebi je uspelo, a njima ne.Verovatno zato što je moje pismo bilo inicirano ličnim iskustvom. To pismo je pratio i štrajk glađu i ja sam tada bila direktno izložena mnogim opasnostima. Jedna je stvar kada aktivista za zaštitu ljudskih prava uđe u zatvor, pogleda kako sve to izgleda, izađe iz njega i potom govori ili piše o tome šta je tamo video, a sasvim druga kada o tome piše neko ko živi u tim uslovima i ko zbog toga svakog trenutka može biti surovo kažnjen od strane predstavnika zatvorske administracije.Jesu li te zatvarali u samicu?Mene su smestili u samicu sa obrazloženjem da je to „bezbedno mesto“. I kao što obično biva u samicama Mordovije, tamo je bilo neopisivo hladno. To je stara zatvorska tradicija: zatvorenike u samicama kažnjavaju ne toliko činom izolacije, koliko neverovatno teškim životnim uslovima, u prvom redu zverski surovom hladnoćom. Za ovu meru su najzgodniji jesenji i zimski meseci. Na primer, u kazneno-popravnoj koloniji IK-2, u susednoj republici Čuvašiji, jako vole da zamrzavaju zatvorenice. Oni prosto drže sva spoljna vrata zatvora žirom otvorena i smrzavaju ljude metodom nekada korišćenom za uništavanje kućnih insekata. I čuvarima je hladno, ali osuđenici (valjda) moraju da se smrzavaju, i to je administraciji sasvim dovoljan razlog za primenu ove vaspitne mere. Čuvari po zatvoru hodaju u opaklijama, a zatvorenice skakuću u svojim ćelijama imajući na sebi samo gaćice i tanke narandžaste haljine. Do tada se nikada nisam srela sa takvim haljinama. Zatvorenicima obično dozvoljavaju da nose običnu odeću, kao recimo pantalone, džempere, sakoe ili jakne u kojima čovek koliko-toliko ipak može da se zagreje. A kada vas obuku u te američke haljine od gumiranog platna, to postaje apsolutno nemoguće.Kada su me vratili u samicu, za mene je pozitivan detalj bio taj što sam mogla da obučem moju običnu zatvorsku uniformu. Sledećeg dana sam zbog neizdržive hladnoće napisala žalbu o tome kako zatvorska administracija nada mnom sprovodi torturu i oni su mi doneli grejalicu. Tamo sve vreme moraš da koristiš radikalne mere da bi dobio minimum onoga što bilo koji čovek mora da ima.Kako ti je izgledala impresivna PR kampanja koju je sprovodio tvoj muž Pjotr Verzilov? To je povremeno izgledalo kao veštački podgrevano interesovanje javnosti.A svima vama nikada nije padalo na pamet to da su pisma koja piše zatočenica kazneno-popravne kolonije motivisana isključivo njenim sopstvenim pobudama i razlozima, to da treba samo na trenutak da se staviš na njeno mesto? Sa takvog mesta se može predati samo to što se nalazi duboko u tebi, nešto što je motivisano isključivo ogromnom patnjom.A šta se desilo sa trećom članicom vaše grupe, Ekatarinom Samucevič? Tebe i Mašu su pred sam kraj isticanja kazne amnestirali, a ona nakon presude praktično ni dan nije odležala i sada se sa vašim bivšim advokatom Nikolajem Polozovim sudi za 1,5 miliona rubalja odštete.To ćeš morati nju da pitaš. Kaća ima svoju glavu, svoje misli, svoje postupke i dejstva. Ja se prema svojim bivšim advokatima normalno odnosim i zahvalna sam im za svu pomoć koju su mi pružili.Ali nije reč o advokatima. Pitanje je da li je ona još uvek članica grupe Pussy Riot?Ja ni sama ne insistiram na tome da budem članica grupe Pussy Riot. Ja sam Nađa Tolokonikova, a grupa Pussy Riot pripada svima, ona pripada celom svetu. Od samog početka je bilo zamišljeno da se grupa neće vezivati za ličnosti i da naše prisustvo u njoj ni na koji način ne bi trebalo da bude obznanjeno. A to da sam ja, Nađa Tolokonikova, jedna od članica grupe je bila stvar koju niko nije ni trebalo da zna. Mi smo, ako se sećaš, nastupali pokrivenih lica i nigde nismo objavljivali naše biografije.Danas mi je prišla administratorka vašeg hotela Kupičeskaja i upitala me: „Vi ste novinarka i verovatno ste došli da nešto napišete povodom ove dve (Aljohine i Tolokonikove)? Da li možete da u svom tekstu ne pominjete ime našeg hotela?Postupak tipičan za sistem koji ima šta da krije. I pod tim gestom se ne skriva nikakav konkretan, racionalan podtekst. To se verovatno vuče još od sovjetskih vremena kada su otvorenost i transparentnost bili uvek nešto loše zbog čega se od nečelništva uvek mogao dobiti ukor.Ili se možda plaše da će izgubiti goste. Gosti više neće hteti da borave u hotelu u kojem su živele „bogohulnice“.U razgovor ponovo stupa Pjotr Verzilov: „Mislim da na ovu situaciju postoje dve reakcije. Prva je da vam ljubazno govore: „Izvolite vaše stvari. Nažalost, mi smo prinuđeni da vas zamolimo da napustite hotel“ i druga, kada su sami protiv, ali iz nekog razloga odlučuju da na to zatvore oči i ćute.“Kakav je to novi projekat koji spremaš da realizuješ zajedno sa Marijom Aljohinom?Naziv projekta je Teritorija prava (Зона права) i njegov osnovni zadatak je primorati zatvorski sistem da radi onako kako bi trebalo da radi. Kako to učiniti? Za početak će biti dovoljno da precizno udarimo po konkretnim prekršajima kojih je zaista mnogo, a koje smo nas dve uočile. Radi se o prekršajima koji su već fiksirani. Koliko je meni poznato, situacija u Mordoviji se već malo popravila. Pojavila se nada da će plate zatvorenica postati razumnije. Sada je glavno da se na tome ne zaustavljamo. Tim ljudima koje smo tamo srele hoćemo da pomognemo. I ne samo njima. Pomagaćemo i svima onima koji odluče da nam se obrate. I ako postoje ljudi koji imaju šta da nam saopšte, ja molim da nam se jave.Tebe tek što su amnestirali, ali kao da povodom toga ne osećaš zahvalnost.Apsolutno nikakvu. Osećam se kao džak kompira kojeg su podigli i premestili s jednog mesta na drugo. Da nas je neko pitao, i Maša i ja bismo se odrekle ove amnestije. Ona je potrebna drugima, a ne nama. Ona je potrebna optuženima za protest na Bolotnom trgu. Ona je preko potrebna ljudima kojima su prikačili član 318. Videla sam kako se u zatvoru odnose prema političkim zatvorenicima. To je vrlo specifičan odnos. Oni se nalaze pod posebnom pažnjom zatvorske uprave i ta pažnja, i neprekidni pritisak, čine da rok izdržavanja kazne postaje sve duži. Po zatvorima taj pritisak na političke zatvorenike traje 24 sata dnevno i ja zaista ne želim da ljudi koji danas ni zbog čega sede iza rešetaka, već koliko sutra počnu da prolaze kroz paklene muke koje su im namenili.Ovde, u Krasnojarsku, na svim televizijskim kanalima padaju opklade da li ćete organizovati neku novu akciju ili ne.Nisam imala vremena da gledam televiziju Krasnojarska. Odspavala samo par sati, a usput me neprekidno proganja nekakav grozan osećaj da ništa ne uspevam da uradim.A šta ako se odjednom pojave neke devojke maskirane u balaklave i nadmaše vas u svemu što ste do sada uradile? Da li bi te to pogodilo?Ni u kom slučaju. Bila bih presrećna.Pre godinu dana sam spremala nekakav materijal o Olgi Zeleninoj, ekspertu za poznati „slučaju maka“, koja je sa tobom bila u istražnom zatvoru. Ona mi se tada žalila da si je ti prekorevala zbog toga što je suviše staromodna i religiozna.Nijednom je nisam videla da se krsti. Nas dve smo stvarno vodile raspravu, ali tema je bila sasvim druga. Razgovor se vodio o visokom stepenu homofobije u ruskom društvu. Tog trenutka je zajedno sa nama bio i Kurt. Taj lik se pojavio u mom životu kada su me neposredno posle presude sa ocenom „dvojka“ (Putinova šala na presudu od dve godine zatvora devojkama iz grupe Pussy Riot: „Svakoj po dvojka za nestašluk.“), vratili u istražni zatvor. Ja se iz sudnice potpuno razbijena vraćam u istražni zatvor, a u mojoj ćeliji sedi neki nepoznati muškarac. On se pridiže i obraća mi se s akcentom: „Dobar dan, ja se zovem Kurt“. Saznala sam da je on građanin Švedske, da se baš tih dana spremao da promeni pol, ali je na nesreću pao u istražni zatvor sa optužbom po članu 159 stav 3, prevara sa zloupotrebom službenog položaja. S njim sam razmatrala pitanja o socijalnim sistemima, o mogućnostima očuvanja socijalne samosvesti koju ljudi u sebi nose od samog detinjstva i o tome kako se ti modeli primenjuju u skandinavskim zemljama. Otvorenih usta sam grozničavo beležila sve što mi je govorio. I dan danas čuvam te dragocene beleške. A Zelenina, koja je sa nama boravila u istoj ćeliji, s vremena na vreme je…Verzilov ponovo prekida Tolokonikovu: „Slušajte, ovo je zaista zanimljivo! Časopis Time se sprema da u svom prvom novogodišnjem broju na naslovnu stranu stavi Nađinu i Mašinu sliku! Časopis Time – prvi časopis na planeti. Od Rusa su na naslovonoj strani do sada bili samo Staljin, Gorbačov i Putin.“Ma dajte, memojmo o tome. Kurt je neuporedivo interesantniji! Gde sam ono stala… Da, otvorenih usta gledam u Kurta i sve zapisujem. A Olga Zelenina povremeno upada u naš razgovor s pričom kako žena mora biti u senci svog muža i sličnim koještarijama.Donose jelo. Nađa, ne videći viljušku: „Šta oni misle – da sam još uvek zatvorenica?!“ A onda nalazi viljušku i nož: „U zatvorskoj trpezariji sam redovno koristila nož i viljušku i svi su mislili da izvodim kerefeke. A ja sam im uvek govorila: Probajte i vi. Videćete, biće vam mnogo zgodnije.“
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oh, come on. nemoguce da ovo nije bilo ? pomalo, ali jaaaako malo je :kdp: al to je verovatno tako zbog prirode medija i emotivne pregnanosti trenutka. prva dva, tri su zanimljiva posle ga malo tupe.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot's prison letters to Slavoj ŽižekThe Guardian,Friday 15 November 2013 19.16 GMTPussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is currently in a prison hospital in Siberia; here she and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek meet in an extraordinary exchange of lettersNadezhda-Tolokonnikova-of-009.jpg'We are the children of Dionysus, sailing in a barrel and not ­recognising any authority' … Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot writing to Slavoj Žižek. Photograph: David Levene/AFP/Getty/Guardian 2 January 2013Dear Nadezhda,I hope you have been able to organise your life in prison around small rituals that make it tolerable, and that you have time to read. Here are my thoughts on your predicament.John Jay Chapman, an American political essayist, wrote this about radicals in 1900: "They are really always saying the same thing. They don't change; everybody else changes. They are accused of the most incompatible crimes, of egoism and a mania for power, indifference to the fate of their cause, fanaticism, triviality, lack of humour, buffoonery and irreverence. But they sound a certain note. Hence the great practical power of persistent radicals. To all appearance, nobody follows them, yet everyone believes them. They hold a tuning-fork and sound A, and everybody knows it really is A, though the time-honoured pitch is G flat." Isn't this a good description of the effect of Pussy Riot performances? In spite of all accusations, you sound a certain note. It may appear that people do not follow you, but secretly, they believe you, they know you are telling the truth, or, even more, you are standing for truth.But what is this truth? Why are the reactions to Pussy Riot performances so violent, not only in Russia? All hearts were beating for you as long as you were perceived as just another version of the liberal-democratic protest against the authoritarian state. The moment it became clear that you rejected global capitalism, reporting on Pussy Riot became much more ambiguous. What is so disturbing about Pussy Riot to the liberal gaze is that you make visible the hidden continuity between Stalinism and contemporary global capitalism.[Žižek then explores what he sees as a global trend towards limiting democracy.] Since the 2008 crisis, this distrust of democracy, once limited to third-world or post-Communist developing economies, is gaining ground in western countries. But what if this distrust is justified? What if only experts can save us?But the crisis provided proof that it is these experts who don't know what they are doing, rather than the people. In western Europe, we are seeing that the ruling elite know less and less how to rule. Look at how Europe is dealing with Greece.No wonder, then, that Pussy Riot make us all uneasy – you know very well what you don't know, and you don't pretend to have any quick or easy answers, but you are telling us that those in power don't know either. Your message is that in Europe today the blind are leading the blind. This is why it is so important that you persist. In the same way that Hegel, after seeing Napoleon riding through Jena, wrote that it was as if he saw the World Spirit riding on a horse, you are nothing less than the critical awareness of us all, sitting in prison.Comradely greetings, Slavoj23 February 2013Dear Slavoj,Once, in the autumn of 2012, when I was still in the pre-trial prison in Moscow with other Pussy Riot activists, I visited you. In a dream, of course.I see your argument about horses, the World Spirit, and about tomfoolery and disrespect, as well as why and how all these elements are so connected to each other.Pussy Riot did turn out be a part of this force, the purpose of which is criticism, creativity and co-creation, experimentation and constantly provocative events. Borrowing Nietzsche's definition, we are the children of Dionysus, sailing in a barrel and not recognising any authority.We are a part of this force that has no final answers or absolute truths, for our mission is to question. There are architects of apollonian statics and there are (punk) singers of dynamics and transformation. One is not better than the other. But it is only together that we can ensure the world functions in the way Heraclitus defined it: "This world has been and will eternally be living on the rhythm of fire, inflaming according to the measure, and dying away according to the measure. This is the functioning of the eternal world breath."We are the rebels asking for the storm, and believing that truth is only to be found in an endless search. If the "World Spirit" touches you, do not expect that it will be painless.Laurie Anderson sang: "Only an expert can deal with the problem." It would have been nice if Laurie and I could cut these experts down to size and take care of our own problems. Because expert status by no means grants access to the kingdom of absolute truth.Two years of prison for Pussy Riot is our tribute to a destiny that gave us sharp ears, allowing us to sound the note A when everyone else is used to hearing G flat.At the right moment, there will always come a miracle in the lives of those who childishly believe in the triumph of truth over lies, of mutual assistance, of those who live according to the economics of the gift.4 April 2013Dear Nadezhda,I was so pleasantly surprised when your letter arrived – the delay made me fear that the authorities would prevent our communication. I was deeply honoured, flattered even, by my appearance in your dream.You are right to question the idea that the "experts" close to power are competent to make decisions. Experts are, by definition, servants of those in power: they don't really think, they just apply their knowledge to the problems defined by those in power (how to bring back stability? how to squash protests?). So are today's capitalists, the so-called financial wizards, really experts? Are they not just stupid babies playing with our money and our fate? I remember a cruel joke from Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not to Be. When asked about the German concentration camps in occupied Poland, the Nazi officer snaps back: "We do the concentrating, and the Poles do the camping." Does the same not hold for the Enron bankruptcy in 2002? The thousands of employees who lost their jobs were certainly exposed to risk, but with no true choice – for them the risk was like blind fate. But those who did have insight into the risks, and the ability to intervene (the top managers), minimised their risks by cashing in their stocks before the bankruptcy. So it is true that we live in a society of risky choices, but some people (the managers) do the choosing, while others (the common people) do the risking.For me, the true task of radical emancipatory movements is not just to shake things out of their complacent inertia, but to change the very co-ordinates of social reality so that, when things return to normal, there will be a new, more satisfying, "apollonian statics". And, even more crucially, how does today's global capitalism enter this scheme?The Deleuzian philosopher Brian Massumi tells how capitalism has already overcome the logic of totalising normality and adopted the logic of erratic excess: "The more varied, and even erratic, the better. Normality starts to lose its hold. The regularities start to loosen. This loosening is part of capitalism's dynamic."But I feel guilty writing this: who am I to explode in such narcissistic theoretical outbursts when you are exposed to very real deprivations? So please, if you can and want, do let me know about your situation in prison: about your daily rhythm, about the little private rituals that make it easier to survive, about how much time you have to read and write, about how other prisoners and guards treat you, about your contact with your child … true heroism resides in these seemingly small ways of organising one's life in order to survive in crazy times without losing dignity.With love, respect and admiration, my thoughts are with you! Slavoj16 April 2013Dear Slavoj,Has modern capitalism really overtaken the logic of totalising norms? Or is it willing to make us believe that it has overpassed the logic of hierarchical structures and normalisation?As a child I wanted to go into advertising. I had a love affair with the advertising industry. And this is why I am in a position to judge its merits. The anti-hierarchical structures and rhizomes of late capitalism are its successful ad campaign. Modern capitalism has to manifest itself as flexible and even eccentric. Everything is geared towards gripping the emotion of the consumer. Modern capitalism seeks to assure us that it operates according to the principles of free creativity, endless development and diversity. It glosses over its other side in order to hide the reality that millions of people are enslaved by an all-powerful and fantastically stable norm of production. We want to reveal this lie.You should not worry that you are exposing theoretical fabrications while I am supposed to suffer the "real hardship". I value the strict limits, and the challenge. I am genuinely curious: how will I cope with this? And how can I turn this into a productive experience for me and my comrades? I find sources of inspiration; it contributes to my own development. Not because of, but in spite of the system. And in my struggle, your thoughts, ideas and stories are helpful to me.I am happy to correspond with you. I await your reply and I wish you good luck in our common cause.Nadia10 June 2013Dear Nadezhda,I felt deeply ashamed after reading your reply. You wrote: "You should not worry about the fact that you are exposing theoretical fabrications while I am supposed to suffer the 'real hardship'." This simple sentence made me aware that the final sentiment in my last letter was false: my expression of sympathy with your plight basically meant, "I have the privilege of doing real theory and teaching you about it while you are good for reporting on your experience of hardship …" Your last letter demonstrates that you are much more than that, that you are an equal partner in a theoretical dialogue. So my sincere apologies for this proof of how deeply entrenched is male chauvinism, especially when it is masked as sympathy for the other's suffering, and let me go on with our dialogue.It is the crazy dynamics of global capitalism that make effective resistance to it so difficult and frustrating. Recall the great wave of protests that spilled all over Europe in 2011, from Greece and Spain to London and Paris. Even if there was no consistent political platform mobilising the protesters, the protests functioned as part of a large-scale educational process: the protesters' misery and discontent were transformed into a great collective act of mobilisation – hundreds of thousands gathered in public squares, proclaiming that they had enough, that things could not go on like that. However, what these protests add up to is a purely negative gesture of angry rejection and an equally abstract demand for justice, lacking the ability to translate this demand into a concrete political programme.What can be done in such a situation, where demonstrations and protests are of no use, where democratic elections are of no use? Can we convince the tired and manipulated crowds that we are not only ready to undermine the existing order, to engage in provocative acts of resistance, but also to offer the prospect of a new order?The Pussy Riot performances cannot be reduced just to subversive provocations. Beneath the dynamics of their acts, there is the inner stability of a firm ethico-political attitude. In some deeper sense, it is today's society that is caught in a crazy capitalist dynamic with no inner sense and measure, and it is Pussy Riot that de facto provides a stable ethico-political point. The very existence of Pussy Riot tells thousands that opportunist cynicism is not the only option, that we are not totally disoriented, that there still is a common cause worth fighting for.So I also wish you good luck in our common cause. To be faithful to our common cause means to be brave, especially now, and, as the old saying goes, luck is on the side of the brave!Yours, Slavoj13 July 2013Dear Slavoj,In my last letter, written in haste as I worked in the sewing shop, I was not as clear as I should have been about the distinction between how "global capitalism" functions in Europe and the US on the one hand, and in Russia on the other. However, recent events in Russia – the trial of Alexei Navalny, the passing of unconstitutional, anti-freedom laws – have infuriated me. I feel compelled to speak about the specific political and economic practices of my country. The last time I felt this angry was in 2011 when Putin declared he was running for the presidency for a third time. My anger and resolve led to the birth of Pussy Riot. What will happen now? Time will tell.Here in Russia I have a strong sense of the cynicism of so-called first-world countries towards poorer nations. In my humble opinion, "developed" countries display an exaggerated loyalty towards governments that oppress their citizens and violate their rights. The European and US governments freely collaborate with Russia as it imposes laws from the middle ages and throws opposition politicians in jail. They collaborate with China, where oppression is so bad that my hair stands on end just to think about it. What are the limits of tolerance? And when does tolerance become collaboration, conformism and complicity?To think, cynically, "let them do what they want in their own country", doesn't work any longer, because Russia and China and countries like them are now part of the global capitalist system.Russia under Putin, with its dependence on raw materials, would have been massively weakened if those nations that import Russian oil and gas had shown the courage of their convictions and stopped buying. Even if Europe were to take as modest a step as passing a "Magnitsky law" [the Magnitsky Act in the US allows it to place sanctions on Russian officials believed to have taken part in human-rights violations], morally it would speak volumes. A boycott of the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 would be another ethical gesture. But the continued trade in raw materials constitutes a tacit approval of the Russian regime – not through words, but through money. It betrays the desire to protect the political and economic status quo and the division of labour that lies at the heart of the world economic system.You quote Marx: "A social system that seizes up and rusts … cannot survive." But here I am, working out my prison sentence in a country where the 10 people who control the biggest sectors of the economy are Vladimir Putin's oldest friends. He studied or played sports with some, and served in the KGB with others. Isn't this a social system that has seized up? Isn't this a feudal system?I thank you sincerely, Slavoj, for our correspondence and can hardly wait for your reply.Yours, Nadia• The correspondence was organised by Philosophie magazine in cooperation with New Times. Longer versions can be found in German at philomag.de or in French at philomag.com. Tolokonnikova's letters were translated from Russian by Galia Ackerman
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