Russian parliament passes new blasphemy law as protesters call for secular state

[n2doc]

Posted: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:20

Russia's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new blasphemy law allowing jail sentences of up to three years for "offending religious feelings", an initiative launched in the wake of the trial against the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot.

Under the proposed new law, Russian citizens would face a year in jail for "intentional" and "public" displays that cause "offense to religious sensibilities," and up to three years in jail for desecrating religious sites and paraphernalia".

Mikhail Markelov, a member of the ruling United Russia party, said: "We are not talking about the subjective term 'religious offense', which is admittedly difficult to qualify. The law only punishes public acts that obviously go out of their way to insult a religion." She said the new law has been "chiseled to perfection, and reflects the desires of the majority of our society."

The Russian parliament, the Duma, will hear a third and final reading in the next week. If approved, it will then go to President Putin for final approval.

more

http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2013/06/russian-parliament-passes-new-blasphemy-law-as-protesters-call-for-secular-state

[onager]

1. Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer (HBO documentary)

Thanks for the OP. This post goes right along with it.

HBO just kicked off its Summer Documentary series with a great 90-minute movie, "Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer." Link below to the HBO webpage about it.

Don't want to ruin the doc with a lot of spoilers for those who haven't seen it, but some highlights:

Along with the 3 young women who make up Pussy Riot, the doc also interviews their parents, friends and their many enemies.

Lots of footage shot at their trial. At one point, a Pussy Riot lawyer has to remind the court that "we live in a secular nation with a secular constitution."

Well, maybe. But apparently some things haven't changed much since the days of Soviet Russia. One trial-watcher carries an umbrella with the message: "Is it 1937 again?" (A reference to Stalin's show trials.)

Other nostalgic touches - the Pussy Rioters are charged with "hooliganism," held for months in custody without bail, and face up to 7 years in a labor camp.

Then there are the REALLY nostalgic "Carriers of the Cross," a sort of God's own biker club. They wear black T-shirts reading "Orthodoxy or Death." And muse approvingly that in the 16th century, Pussy Riot would have been hanged or burned at the stake.

Finally, for comic relief - we get to see Vladimir Putin, in a TV interview, try to define the word "pussy."

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/pussy-riot-a-punk-prayer/index.html

[Lordquinton]

2. That last line

"we get to see Vladimir Putin, in a TV interview, try to define the word "pussy.""

There are things in this world that, no matter how hard you try, you could not make up.

[trotsky]

3. This is a natural development from the idea that religious beliefs are exceptional...

and deserve special treatment.

[skepticscott]

4. And that the religionists have a fundamental right

not to have their feewings hurt.

[dimbear]

5. I wonder whether Vlad has considered dedicating this to his greatgranduncle Ras? n/t