Reading through ‘The Malta Independent on Sunday’, a newspaper much respected by me, I was particularly struck by Noel Grima’s article under the flashy title ‘What’s Pussy Riot in Maltese?’ I could not agree more with the author’s opening advice not to lose track of what is happening in the outside world. Indeed, the world is witnessing so many dramatic events deserving the attention of the international community and the media. Yet, of all things Mr Grima singled out the notorious Russian punk band Pussy Riot who, not without help from the international media, propelled themselves to the limelight by their blasphemous performance in Russia’s main cathedral. By no means do I question the right of any journalist to write about a subject of his choice. What is important is that one writes objectively and responsibly, particularly on faith-related issues which are a very sensitive matter in any culture, especially in such a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country as Russia.

That is why I cannot agree with Mr Grima’s precarious assumption that the criminal charges brought against the members of the band for an offence motivated by religious hatred “are seen as part of the Kremlin crackdown on freedom of expression and the opposition movement”. It is not the first time that our critics rush to such far-fetched conclusions whenever our judicial system exercises its authority against offenders who break the law to make a political, a religious or some other kind of statement.

I agree with Mr Grima, that it is unimaginable to replicate in Malta what the Russian punk girls did in a Church of God considering the strong commitment which the Maltese have to their moral and religious values. But something tells me that it is wrong to say that local punk bands “may be as filled with offensive language as Pussy Riot’s but they do not end up in court”. Good for them. I do not wish anybody to experience the fate of those Russian girls. But what if someone in this country of devout Catholics dared to slander the Pope in the same manner as Pussy Riot did to the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, thus insulting millions of believers. Would such an action be tolerated without any negative consequences? I doubt it and I have a concrete example to prove my point.

This summer a couple of Russian teenagers on vacation in Malta ended up in court charged with indecent behaviour. What they did was to enjoy themselves skinny-dipping in the wee hours on a deserted beach. Such an irresponsible escapade without regard to the laws and ethical norms of the host country can hardly be excused, but equally can hardly be put on the same plane as church desecration. Or is it perhaps being implied that those young swimmers insulted public morals as much as Pussy Riot did? All this boils down to the same old double standard approach. Stereotyping still persists more than 20 years after the end of the Cold War in the Western media’s portrayal of Russia.

The same is true about another of Mr Grima’s precarious assumptions referring to relaxed Maltese young people enjoying themselves to the full because “there is no repression such as there is in Moscow”. Look around you. It’s not 1979 outside and Russia is no longer the Soviet Union. But the labels and stereotypes from that era are still in wide circulation. One does not need to go further than the beach in Sliema, known among its residents as “the Russian beach”, to discover that Mr Grima’s theory of oppressed Russian youngsters does not really stick. You will see hordes of young people from different places in Russia no less relaxed and happy than their Maltese and foreign counterparts - except, perhaps for the fact that they are not as careful with their money.

Ignoring the obvious, Mr Grima keeps repeating this mantra of “repression in Russia”. When was the last time that Mr Grima visited my country?

I would like to conclude by giving advice to those who look at the world with an open mind and do not wish to be misled by media clichés of yesteryear: take a trip to Russia, talk to people, make a friend or two, see with your own eyes how differently the country and its people look and feel compared to only a decade ago. At the end of your trip you will be leaving with an impression that there is no sense of repression or despair among the Russians either.

As to the fate of the Pussy Riot girls it is a matter of due legal process, as it should be in any country where the rule of law is upheld.

■ Boris Marchuk

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Malta