A Russian court has declared Pussy Riot an extremist organization.

What does this mean in practice? To begin with, it means that if you now write the word “Riot” next to the word “Pussy” in Russia, you could be sentenced for up to five years in prison for “justifying extremism.” The same applies if you like or share those words on social media.

Or, if you cut holes for the eyes and mouth in an ordinary knitted hat, it can now be considered an extremist balaclava. Same sentence.

While writing this, I realized that a police officer wears hats with cutouts for the eyes and mouth. Sure, they’re not colorful — but why is black worse than any other color?

You can make almost any piece of news funny by pointing out those inconsistencies. Almost.

But now I am relearning how to laugh.

As a member of Pussy Riot, I have been through a lot. I spent two years in a penal colony in the Urals — a modern-day gulag. I was beaten with whips, had my head smashed open and was banned from leaving the country. I spent nights detained in police stations. I was regularly followed and wiretapped. I endured a year and a half under house arrest, and six stints of 15 days each in special detention centers. I faced threats to take my child away; threats to imprison my child. Not a bad résumé to fill my new book........

© The Moscow Times