Pussy Riot Criticizes Campus Ban on Alumnus

UPDATED: October 5, 2014, at 11:40 p.m.

Two members of the punk rock protest group Pussy Riot penned an open letter to University President Drew G. Faust on Saturday criticizing a ban from University property issued by the Harvard University Police Department against alumnus and activist Roman J. Torgovitsky.

“It is disconcerting that Harvard University has a policy of banning some of Harvard alums engaged in [nonviolent] civil disobedience and political protest on campus without any due process, consideration by the Harvard community or even possibility to appeal such a decision to a special committee,” Masha Alekhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova wrote in the letter.

Torgovitsky, a graduate of the School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was arrested in May when he went on stage during a musical performance by violinist Vladimir T. Spivakov. After giving the musician a Harvard hat, Torgovitsky tried to engage in a conversation regarding Spivakov’s alleged support for the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

From the left, Jill Dougherty, Masha Alekhina, Nadya Tolokonnikova, and Pyotr Verzilov discuss the implications of Pussy Riot in Russian politics at the IOP in September. By Y. Kit Wu

Torgovitsky was arrested by HUPD while on stage, and later that day was charged with disorderly conduct. The next day, a Cambridge judge dismissed the case against him.

Torgovitsky was arrested again last month for violating the resulting ban when he attended an event at the Institute of Politics featuring Alekhina and Tolokonnikova. At the event, Torgovitsky stood and identified himself before asking a question of the band members as they sat on stage.

According to the letter posted to the Pussy Riot Facebook page, Alekhina and Tolokonnikova invited a number of event participants, as well as Torgovitsky, to eat dinner with them after the forum concluded. Torgovitsky was arrested as the group was leaving campus, according to the letter.

The relevent HUPD police log states that the arrest was made at the Kennedy School of Government, “after [the group] attempted enter to a private event after the panel discussion.”

Following the arrest, Alekhina and Tolokonnikova followed Torgovitsky and HUPD officers to the Cambridge Police Department, where he was held briefly before being released.

In their letter, Alekhina and Tolokonnikova ask that the University lift the ban placed on Torgovitsky for “the non-violent, peaceful expression of his opinion.”

They also argue that “it would be a great benefit for the Harvard community” if the University established a due process for campus trespassing orders placed on alumni and an appeals process that involves members of the University community.

“We call on the Harvard administration to enter into a [dialogue] with civil-society activists, and in particular with Roman Torgovitsky,” they wrote. “After all, they and Harvard are pursuing the same goals: respect for human rights, peace, and education without borders.”

University spokesperson Jeff Neal did not comment directly on the letter, but said that the University has notified the District Attorney that it does not wish to pursue further criminal prosecution.

"Our only interest is preventing the disruption of events at Harvard," Neal wrote in an email.

—Staff writer Steven R. Watros can be reached at steven.watros@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveWatros.