When feminist punk group Pussy Riot staged a protest performance on the altar of the Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on 21 February 2012, Russia’s government set in motion legislation that would severely punish blasphemy and drastically change relations between the country’s believers and non-believers.
Pussy Riot launched the performance to highlight the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for Vladimir Putin’s 2012 election and the ongoing collaboration between church and state. But Russia’s religious community took offence, calling the protest blasphemous and demanding action from prosecutors.
Within days, police arrested three of the group’s members. Later that year they were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and sentenced to two years in prison.
In June 2013, following the Pussy Riot case, new legal amendments to toughen punishment for blasphemy were enacted. The new Federal Law on Countering Insulting Religious Beliefs and Feelings of Citizens introduced changes into Article 148, “Obstructing the exercise of the right to freedom of conscience and religious belief,” of the Criminal Code. The new edition of the article included criminal liability for “public actions expressing obvious disrespect to society and committed with a view to insulting religious feelings of believers”, and for actions committed “in places specially designed for worship, other religious rites and ceremonies”.
The punishments vary from fines of up to 500,000 rubles (€8,000), compulsory labour and imprisonment for up to three years.
However, despite demands by a large part of society to toughen punishments for blasphemy, monitoring of trials involving Article 148 for the last three-and-a-half years has demonstrated its uselessness.
According to the report “Unlawful Implementation of the Anti-Extremist Legislation” by SOVA, a Moscow-based analytical centre studying relations between churches and secular society, only six sentences under the revised Article 148 were registered since 2013.
Aleksandr Verkhovski of SOVA told Index on Censorship that there will be no more in the future: “There’s no reason to use this article unless there is a new ideological mobilisation like in 2012 [with Pussy Riot].” Verkhovski said the blasphemy article does not work because the judiciary has been for years using Article 282 (incitement to racial, national or religious hatred and hostility) of the Criminal Code to prosecute offences of this nature.
According to SOVA, since 2007, Article 282 has been used in 1,477 cases. Not all of the cases are based on religious hatred, Article 282 has long been used to harassing opposition leaders, journalists and bloggers when they cover abuse of power by the state officials.
Articles 282 and 148, in addition to the Law on Countering Extremism, have been used to target a popular Moscow-based vlogger and comedian Ilia Davydov, known under the pseudonym Maddison. Davydov, who was named a hero of the Russian internet in 2009, became popular for his internet reviews and standup performances.
In January 2017, despite wide popularity, he suddenly deleted all his social media accounts and went into hiding. His disappearance from the internet was driven by accusations that he had insulted the “religious feelings of believers”. The uproar stemmed from a 2012 video in which he reportedly mocked both the Koran and the Bible. In the video, posted to YouTube, Maddison appeared with a book which he called “the Koran” and told a story about wanting to use it as toilet paper but opted for a sock instead. He then told his viewers it was actually the Bible, not the Koran. But then he opened the book to reveal that it was neither holy text.
The video on YouTube did not arouse much interest for three years. But in November 2016, Demand Knowledge, an Islamic Telegram channel geotagged in Chechnya, re-posted the video with a comment (in Russian): “An infidel is insulting Islam and Koran. If you find him, you know what to do.”
The video went viral and Maddison was inundated with abuses and death threats. In late January 2017 some Russian media outlets reported that a financial reward had been offered for reprisals against the comedian. Following the threats, Davydov left Russia.
The threats on his life were only part of the story. On 3 February 2017, the Prosecutor of the Republic of Chechnya appealed to a local court to prosecute Davydov. According to the Chechen Prosecutor’s Office, a review of the video and eight others on Davydov’s channel contain speech and actions that are humiliating to human dignity of Muslim and Christian believers. Prosecutors demanded the courtfile a criminal case under the Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code. The court is currently considering the request.
Davydov declined to speak to Index on Censorship stressing he does not give interviews to any media.
Maddison’s case is not isolated. Chechnya counts as one of the most closed and media-intolerant regions of Russia. Independent media and bloggers have been pushed out of the area in during the rise to power of the Chechen autocratic leader Ramzan Kadyrov. [/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”10″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1491398230204-8311d8c4-ec30-9″ taxonomies=”15″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Moddi and Katrine Schiott (Photo: Sean Gallagher / Index on Censorship)
Speaking during his Unsongs set at Hoxton Hall benefit in support of Index on Censorship on Wednesday 7 December, Norwegian musician Moddi warned that censorship can’t be thought of just happening somewhere else.
“Wherever there is power, there is censorship,” he told the audience.
Moddi’s path to his latest album began with a phone call from Norwegian singer Birgitte Grimstad, who told him of Eli Geva, a song about an Israeli officer who refused to lead his forces into battle in 1982. The song had not been performed for more than 30 years. That conversation led him to create Unsongs, a collection of 12 songs that had been silenced in 12 countries.
Jodie Ginsberg, Index CEO, introduced Moddi by reminding the audience of the importance of freedom of expression, something that most take for granted. She told of Zunar, who faces over 40 years in jail for drawing cartoons lampooning Malaysia’s prime minister and his wife, and Baharani Nabeel Rajab, who faces up to 15 years in jail for tweets and retweets.
The evening of censored music also included covers of works by Kate Bush, which had been banned during the first Gulf War by the BBC, and Pussy Riot, which Moddi was dropped from a Norwegian playlist after inquiries from the Russian consulate.
Free speech campaigners Index on Censorship will host a night of forbidden music on December 7 to raise money for censored artists.
This candlelit evening features songs that have been banned or censored, which will be performed live by award-winning Norwegian musician Moddi to celebrate the launch of his ‘Unsongs’ album — 12 tracks from global artists, including Kate Bush and Pussy Riot. The one-off event will be hosted in the restored Hoxton Hall, one of the East End’s hidden Victorian gems.
Moddi’s collection unfurls stories of censorship, persecution and repression, such as A Matter of Habit, a song inspired by interviews with Israeli soldiers and which was banned from army radio in 2012.
Also included in the set will be Moddi’s version of Punk Prayer, which gained international notoriety after Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot staged a performance of the song at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The group said it was a protest against the Orthodox church’s support for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Three members of the group were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”.
Earlier this month Moddi pulled Punk Prayer from his set at a festival in Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost county on the border with Russia, after Russia’s Consulate General in expressed concerns about the song being performed.
‘Forbidden Songs’ is a festive fundraiser in support of freedom of expression charity Index on Censorship, which champions musicians, artists and others around the world who are facing censorship and repression. All proceeds from the night will go to support Index’s Freedom of Expression Awards Fellowship supporting persecuted artists, journalists and campaigners.
Previous award winners include hip-hop artist Smockey, from Burkina Faso, whose studio has been repeatedly targeted for attack because of his involvement with a campaign for democratic reforms that ousted the country’s long-serving and dictatorial president.
Tickets for the event are £15 and include a free drink courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Helen Galliano [email protected]
Notes to Editors
What the critics say about Moddi:
“Making banned music dangerous once again.” The Independent
“An eye-opening lesson in the importance of music” Mojo
“A brave, thought-provoking, musically adventurous project” The Quietus
“Music still has the power to confront authority” The Guardian
Index on Censorship campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views. www.indexoncensorship.org
Moddi & Unsongs
Unsongs is a remarkable collection of songs that have, at one stage, been banned, censored or silenced. The attempts to suppress them were as mild as an airplay ban and as brutal as murder. With great sensitivity and imagination, Norwegian singer-songwriter Moddi has given them new life and created a moving and eye-opening album. Unsongs simultaneously celebrates the censored and exposes the censors.
Join Index on Censorship for a candlelit evening of songs censored and silenced, played live by award-winning Norwegian musician Moddi.
Set in the beautifully restored Victorian Hoxton Hall, this one-night-only celebration will feature banned songs from around the world, from artists including Pussy Riot and Kate Bush. Following a sell-out European tour, this is an exclusive opportunity to see a brilliant musician in one of London’s historic East End venues. Moddi’s remarkable collection reveals untold stories of censorship, persecution and repression. Guests will be greeted with a complimentary beer courtesy of cult craft brewery Flying Dog – and the party will continue long after the songs have ended.
We’re also raffling fantastic prizes including a luxury London hotel stay, a Whole Foods gift hamper worth £200, a month’s supply of Divine Chocolate, a case of Flying Dog beer, autographed books by legendary comedy writer John O’Farrell and much more.
If you can’t make the gig, but still want to be in with a chance of winning, donate now to Index on Censorship. Anyone who donates £10 or more between now and December 7 will be entered in to the raffle. (Entrants must be UK-based and be able to collect their prizes in person from our London office by 16 December.)
The event is in support of leading freedom of expression charity Index on Censorship, amplifying the voices of musicians, artists and others around the world who are currently facing censorship and repression.
Moddi (Photo: Jørgen Nordby)
On Moddi:
“Making banned music dangerous once again.” The Independent
“Music still has the power to confront authority” The Guardian
“Witty and spry” Financial Times
“A brave, thought-provoking, musically adventurous project” The Quietus
“An eye-opening lesson in the importance of music” Mojo
Moddi will be performing songs from his Unsongs album:
Raffle prizes include:
Wireless speaker worth £250 from Cambridge Audio
Luxury London hotel stay with Edwardian Hotels
Whole Foods gift hamper & £50 gift voucher (Total value £200)
£120 gift voucher for inamo restaurant
One of a kind Flying Dog beer gift basket
Case of biodynamic prosecco
Case of beer
Month’s supply of Divine Chocolate bars
Google Chromecast x 3
Hamilton playscript
Harry Potter & the Cursed Child playscript & Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay
Signed copy of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad
Autographed books from John O’Farrell
£20 Pret a Manger voucher
Winners will be notified by Monday 12 December.
With special thanks to Flying Dog Brewery and Divine Chocolate.
