Alyokhina, who was arrested and jailed in 2012 by the Putin regime, said thousands of people are fighting for the same values of freedom and justice worldwide
Russia's anti-Kremlin 'Pussy Riot' punk band who had staged a pitch invasion during football World Cup final said the group was proud of Guneet Monga's 'Period. End of Sentence' Oscar win and hoped to perform in India.
"It is my dream to come and perform in India and there is a lot of work to be done (regarding activism)," Masha Alyokhina, co-founder of the feminist activism band told DNA in an interview on the sidelines of international civil society week (icsw) in Belgrade, Serbia.
At a high-pitched performance with Pussy Riot's trademark masks and highlighting their stories, Alyokhina, who was arrested and jailed in 2012 by the Putin regime, said thousands of people are fighting for the same values of freedom and justice worldwide.
"We're banned from crossing the Russian border or going out of Russia using planes, trains or buses. But, it is important for me to perform, so we jump the rules," Alyokhina said outlining how the group is raising funds to help victims of domestic abuse in the country.
In 2012, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a third term as president, numerous protests broke out across the country and the art-activism band Pussy Riot was formed. "It was a very spontaneous decision of different people, activists, artists, filmmakers, musicians, to protest against the new Putin's presidency and we formed the band," Alyokhina adds, The band, in its first performance, took to Moscow's iconic Red Square and performed a song 'Putin Zassal. This was followed by a performance 'Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away' in the Russian Orthodox church which led to a case of religious hatred against the group.
Both band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina have spent two years in prison. They started a prison reform campaign and launched an alternative media platform, MediaZona that comprised of journalists who were fired for refusing to write pro-Russia articles against Crimean annexation.
Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014 despite international criticism and sanctions.
Regarding Russia's controversial law that decriminalised domestic violence against women, Alyokhina said the group was donating thousands of dollars through concert revenues to crisis centres that assist women facing sexual attacks and violence.
"We run concerts and collect several thousands of euros to crisis centres which aid and help victims of domestic violence. There is no money from the government to these centres but only from church or feminist groups," she added. In 2017, Putin had signed a law into a controversial amendment that criminalized some forms of domestic violence. Reports add domestic violence is rampant in Russia with a woman succumbing to injuries every forty minutes.
Alyokhina who had warned of Donald Trump's rise as US President changing global politics in 2017 states the country has changed drastically under the latter's administration. "I think another cold war is coming which is very bad and the last one was not a very long time ago. It is so tragic and surprising to see how history repeats itself," she added.
'Pussy Riot' came to national prominence in 2012 when its members were jailed for staging a protest against Putin in a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow. The group has since become a symbol of anti-Kremlin protest action.
Regarding Pussy Riot's activism and mushrooming feminist movement including #MeToo worldwide, Alyokhina says 'art is reflecting our reality and asking uncomfortable questions'.
"That's why art is changing the world and is so powerful," she concludes.
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