Free Pussy Riot rallies gathering momentum

[No Elephants]

Posting this before I even read it because it has the most intriguing headline and first paragraph ever on the AP website. I thought I was on the checkout line at the supermarket! Turns out, it's a serious story, too.

ug 15, 2:25 AM EDT

Global activists gear up for Pussy Riot rallies

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) -- The global campaign to free Pussy Riot is gaining speed: Supporters of the punk provocateur band mobilize this week in at least a dozen cities worldwide to hold simultaneous demonstrations an hour before a Russian court rules on whether its members will be sent to prison.

Friday's rallies will ride a wave of support for the three women who have been in jail for more than five months because of an anti-Putin prank in Moscow's main cathedral. Calls for them to be freed have come from a long list of celebrities such as Madonna and Bjork. Protests have been held in a number of Western capitals, including Berlin, where last week about 400 people joined Canadian electro-pop performance artist Peaches to support the band.

In one of the most extravagant displays, Reykjavik Mayor Jon Gnarr rode through the streets of the Icelandic capital in a Gay Pride parade this weekend dressed like a band member - wearing a bright pink dress and matching balaclava - while lip-synching to one of Pussy Riot's songs.

Amnesty International has called the women prisoners of conscience and begun collecting signatures by text message for a petition to be sent to the Russian government, while the U.S. State Department has repeatedly expressed its concern.

Although the band members and their lawyers are convinced that the verdict depends entirely on the will of President Vladimir Putin, and prosecutors have asked for a three-year sentence, activists hope their pressure will ease punishment or even free the women.

Putin has said the women should not be judged too harshly, but he risks appearing weak if they walk free.

<snip>

Greg Keller in Paris and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_PUSSY_RIOT_GOES_GLOBAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=ENTERTAINMENT&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-15-02-25-49


Yeah, because whether someone may look weak is really important. Besides, the women have already been in jail for months over a prank that was an exercise of political speech. He already looks like a mega asshole to the international community. Looking weak would be a significant improvement.

Free Pussy Riot!