On August 17, the members of the Pussy Riot group were sentenced. Their trial lasted several months and sparked many high-profile protests in the press and social media. Many celebrities supported the three feminists, including foreign stars: Sting, Madonna, and others.
Celebrities in Russia and around the world have split into two camps due to the situation unfolding around the members of the Pussy Riot group. Some agreed with the need for criminal punishment of the girls who organized a punk prayer service in an Orthodox church, while others were categorically opposed.
Many Russian cultural figures supported Pussy Riot. A joint open letter was sent to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on June 26. The document was signed by eminent actors and directors Yevgeny Mironov, Fyodor Bondarchuk, Oleg Basilashvili, Eldar Ryazanov, Andrei Konchalovsky, Igor Kvasha, Pavel Chukhrai, Liya Akhedzhakova, Mark Zakharov and Roman Viktyuk; musicians Diana Arbenina, Gleb Samoilov, Andrey Makarevich, Boris Grebenshchikov, Valery Meladze and Yuri Shevchuk; writers Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Mikhail Zhvanetsky, dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze and others.
In the text of the letter, the authors state that the action of the punk group is not a criminal offense, and the case against the girls should be transferred to the administrative category. Moreover, it states that prosecution of girls compromises the justice system itself and undermines public confidence in it and, in general, in the institutions of power. Actress Chulpan Khamatova supported the accused not only in word, but also in deed, coming to the courthouse and making a short statement to journalists.
Foreign celebrities also spoke out for pardoning Pussy Riot. Among them are the leading figures of the musical genre Madonna and Sting, Peter Gabriel and Mark Elmond, Bjork and Nina Hagen, actor Danny de Vito and writer Stephen Fry, and others. Many of them expressed their protests against the arrest of Russian feminists on their personal pages on social networks. For example, the actor Elijah Wood called the intentions of their act noble, and the girls themselves were beautiful and persistent in their views. Sting stated that the group's action is a manifestation of dissent, which is a natural right of any citizen of a democratic state.
On August 17, 2012, the court delivered a verdict. Three members of the group were sentenced to two years in prison. The completed process became the loudest in Russia in recent years and caused a great resonance in other countries of the world. The trial was covered by more than 80% of the world's media and hundreds of famous bloggers. The verdict caused a new wave of indignation, including among persons holding high political posts in a number of states. The girls' lawyers are going to appeal the court decision and send an appeal, which can be considered as early as September.
