Members of Russian Punk Band Imprisoned After Anti-Putin Protest

Three members of 10-piece Russian punk group Pussy Riot, could face up to seven years in jail after being arrested in January during an anti-Putin protest.

The three women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23; Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, performed a "punk prayer" at the alter of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour that criticized said Church for supporting Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign. The three women were then arrested for hooliganism and have been in prison ever since (five months total).

The case is significant: three well-educated, middle-class women have created one of Putin's biggest media headaches-to-date, not only drawing attention to dissent for his campaign, but also to the dictatorial nature of the government: all while wearing masks. Carole Cadwalladr, a journalist with The Guardian, who has been following the trial closely, had this to say as an explanation for why this case has gained international attention: "they're not individuals, they're an idea. And that's the thing that has gripped Russia and caught the attention of the rest of the world, too: that the Russian government has gone and arrested an idea and is prosecuting through the courts with a vindictiveness the Russian people haven't before seen".

You can support Pussy Riot via Amnesty International here.