Since punk rockers of Pussy Riot were arrested for "hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred" in March, Moscow has seen a woman chain herself to St. Petersburg’s Church of Saviour on Blood and artist Petr Pavlensky sew his mouth shut in front of Kazan Cathedral.
Now, singer Sting has stepped up and joined the likes of Franz Ferdinand, the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to show support for the all-girl band.
Last week, a Moscow court ruled that Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich must remain in pre-trial custody for more than six months.
The group was arrested after performing a protest song in Moscow’s main Orthodox church in February. Pussy Riot performed "Virgin Mary, redeem us of Putin" wearing balaclavas. The lyrics called on the Mother of God to become a feminist and banish Vladimir Putin. They also did not spare criticism for the dedication and support shown by members of the Russian Orthodox Church to Putin.
Sting, who was performing shows in Moscow and St Petersburg this week, showed his support for the female group.
"It’s appalling that the musicians from Pussy Riot could face prison sentences of up to seven years in jail," he said. "Dissent is a legitimate and essential right in any democracy and modern politicians must accept this fact with tolerance."
"A sense of proportion - and a sense of humour - is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness," added Sting.
Amnesty International has also been campaigning for the women, the organisation claims the three band members are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs, and is calling on the Russia authorities to immediately release the three women.
"We’re calling on the Russian authorities to drop the charges of hooliganism and immediately and unconditionally release Maria Alekhina, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova," said Amnesty International UK’s director Kate Allen.
"If found guilty, they could face up to seven years’ imprisonment - a totally unjustifiable response to a peaceful protest performance," added Allen.
Amnesty International has been campaigning for the release of the group through a
text campaign. More than 12,000 people have participated so far.
Sting seems optimistic about the outcome of Pussy Riot’s court case. "Surely the Russian authorities will completely drop these spurious charges and allow the women, these artists, to get back to their lives and to their children," he said.
Pussy Riot will remain in custody until January 2013.