3 October 2012

University students protest against political prisoners

The Auckland University Students' Association is hosting a protest in solidarity with political prisoners, Pussy Riot in the Quad tomorrow as part of AUSA Politics Week.

Students will lock themselves in cages, others will sit in the quad en masse. Posters with strong political messages will hang from the cages with space to write messages of support. A letter drafted on behalf of AUSA to the Russian Ambassador to New Zealand will be available for students to sign.

"This is part of the continued silencing of dissent in the country, in a concerning shift to heavy hand state practices reminiscent of Soviet era totalitarianism," said Cate Bell, Protest Organiser and AUSA Media Officer. "Pussy Riot's struggle also cannot be separated from the New Zealand government's treatment of political dissent such as in the cases of Tame Iti and Rangi Kemara."

"The protest aims to demonstrate the similarities between the two governments' treatment of political prisoners and to engage debate surrounding the concerning trend of western government's when dealing with dissenting political opinion," Bell continues.

Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk band that was sentenced to two years in prison in August, 2012 for 'hooliganism' after speaking out against Russian President Vladmir Putin. The group performed in the Russian Orthodox Church as a political statement of their protest.

The Auckland University Students Association has throughout its history taken strong stands against the silencing of political prisoners.

ENDS

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