Searching for Pussy Riot videos to become illegal in Russia

The Russian State Duma passed a law on July 17 which will see searching for certain music videos by Pussy Riot illegal, deeming them as “extremist content.”

The law, which comes into force on September 1, will fine fans up to 5,000 rubles (€55) if they intentionally search for the music videos ‘Free the Cobblestones’, ‘Kropotkin Vodka’, ‘Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest’ and ‘Putin Has Pissed Himself’.

All four videos were originally placed on the Federal List of Extremist Materials in 2012, but the new law plans to punish those who have “deliberately searched for knowingly extremist materials”.

5,000 pieces of content are set to be illegal, according to the Russian government’s justice ministry, ranging from music to books.

The law has heavily been criticised, even from typical supporters of Vladimir Putin’s regime. Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the Safe Internet League, said that the law would prevent her organisation from monitoring critics of the government, as reported by The Washington Post.

“It turns out that under the new law, the League for Safe Internet will not be able to transfer data on extremist communities to the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” she wrote on Telegram. “They will ban us from monitoring extremism.”

In response, Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova has launched the Artist Action Foundation, in partnership with the Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI). The organisations aim to support artists targeted by authoritarian regimes and protect their work against state repression.

Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years in prison in 2012 for performing ‘Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Chase Putin Away’ during a guerrilla show at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. That same year, Pussy Riot performed 'Putin Has Pissed Himself' in the city's Red Square.