Pussy Riot is a controversial feminist punk rock band known for performing in the wrong places. The girls introduced their work to the public in the Moscow metro, on Red Square, on the roof of the pre-trial detention center. Their last performance took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
On February 21, 2012, Pussy Riot staged their scandalous "punk prayer" in the temple. The girls sang the song "Theotokos, drive Putin away," while making the sign of the cross. After about forty seconds, the girls were taken outside by the guards.
On February 26, the members of the group were put on the wanted list. On March 3, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina were detained, and a week and a half later - Yekaterina Samutsevich. Since then, the girls have been in custody. At the beginning of the summer, they were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, committed by a group of persons in a preliminary conspiracy, although the participants themselves claim that their action was purely political in nature, and they in no way wanted to offend the feelings of believers. On August 17, the verdict was pronounced: two years in a penal colony, although independent human rights activists argued that such an offense was an administrative offense, and the adequate punishment for it was imprisonment for 15 days. The court's decision surprised and angered many, including Orthodox Christians, whose feelings, according to the charge, were offended.
People around the world have defended Pussy Riot, but so far their actions have not had the desired effect. Many Western stars have also decided to show solidarity with the scandalous singers and support the girls, outraged by the state of freedom of speech in Russia and considering the detention of the Pussy Riot members to be arbitrary and a violation of human rights. Madonna, who came on tour to Russia, appeared on stage in underwear with the inscription "Pussy Riot" on the back and a balaclava hat covering her face. Later in an interview, the singer said that she hoped the girls would be released. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin, in which he expressed similar wishes. Singer Bjork posted on her Facebook account photos of the detained girls and her comment that she hopes to see them soon free and sing with them. In an interview with the website of the human rights organization Amnesty International, Sting expressed his regret that a dissident musician in Russia faces imprisonment and said that he hoped the government would change its mind and allow the girls to return home.
