Photo: Danny Martindale/Getty Images. On Wednesday, the feminist punk group released a video for its new song, "Chaika," named after Russia's general prosecutor, Yuri Chaika. The video, which depicts prisoners in nooses, criticizes Russia's criminal justice system, including alleged uses of torture.
Chaika has been under scrutiny after Russia's opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, released a video that accused Chaika's sons of involvement with Russia's Tsapok gang, as The Guardian has reported. Navalny's video also claimed that Chaika's sons used his connections to get a leg up on their business competitors.
Pussy Riot's "Chaika" video features band member, Nadya Tolokonnikova, dressed as Chaika, along with backup dancers dressed as prosecutors. A framed portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a golden bread loaf, and a Lenin memorial all make cameos. It also features bird masks and bird-inspired hand gestures, because "chaika" translates to "seagull" in Russian, Entertainment Weekly explains.
The band's criticism of the Russian prison system is based on experience, too. Tolokonnikova, along with Maria Alyokhina, spent 21 months in prison after staging an anti-Putin protest in Moscow. After their release, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina created a website called MediaZona to create awareness about Russia's prison system.
In a press release provided to EW, Pussy Riot demanded "an immediate investigation against General Prosecutor Chaika and his family" concerning the corruption claims against him. "We cannot live in a country where its top law enforcement official is the brightest symbol of corruption and murder," Pussy Riot said in the statement. Watch the video below:
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