Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot has released its new music video called "I Can't Breathe."
They are offering two versions of their English-language song.
One was recorded in one night in a New York studio with video shot in Moscow. Another was inspired by the July death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man put in a choke hold by a police officer in New York. Garner's last words were "I Can't Breathe." The officer was not indicted, triggering mass protests.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova appear in the video buried alive in the OMON uniform of Russian riot police. They are lying in a grave and slowly getting buried alive.
“This song is for Eric and for all those from Russia to America and around the globe who suffer from state terror — killed, choked, perished because of war and state-sponsored violence of all kinds — for political prisoners and those on the streets fighting for change,” Pussy Riot members said.
Pussy Riot members Alyokhina and Tololonnikova in a video devoted to Eric Garner`s death
The buried-alive version also has references to the current situation in Ukraine. At the beginning of the video one can see a pack of cigarettes with Russian Spring title on it.
“Russian Spring is a term used by those who are in love with Russia’s aggressive militant actions in Ukraine, and the cigarettes are a real thing,” Pussy Riot members say.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were imprisoned in 2012 for 16 months because of an anti-Putin protest in a Russian Orthodox Church cathedral. They were released in December 2013 under a new Russian amnesty law.
The video was released on Feb. 18 and now has more than 414,000 views on YouTube.
The second video for this song includes footage taken during the riots after Garner`s death.
Another “I Can’t Breathe” music video features documentary footage of the riots.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yulia Krus can be reached at [email protected].
