What the media is saying... about Pussy Riot

The three musicians, all female, were detained in prison for the past five months, awaiting trial. On August 17, the Pussy Riot trio were sentenced to two years in jail. International response to the severity of the sentence has been overwhelming.

The Green Party openly stated their support on June 16 this year with the press release, Greens supporting protests for illegally detained Russian activist musicians, link here as an international campaign to free Pussy Riot was initiated.
"The women are incarcerated, not for having committed any real crime but for being critical of Putin," said Monika Vana, member of the European Green Party (EGP) committee. "We support the international solidarity campaign to free the Pussy Riots and request freedom of expression and upholding humans rights in Russia." 

International response to the two year jail term

Pussy Riot sentences split Russian society
Financial Times Read more... 

Voices within Russia join outcry over Pussy Riot sentence‎
The Independent Read more...

From Pussy Riot, a lesson in the power of punk
The Guardian Read more...

Key: Pussy Riot sentence 'disproportionate'
New Zealand Herald Read more...

International Day of Action

August 17, verdict day, was an international day of action in support of Pussy Riot. One of the most interesting events was at the Royal Court Theatre, London, UK. 

Playwright E.V. Crowe: "What Pussy Riot does is take a stand, through art, and then maximize its impact through social media. They are women who make me want to understand the world I’m living in, to write about it, and to be brave whatever the cost."  read more here

Profiles of the three Pussy Riot members:

Pussy Riot profile: Yekaterina Samutsevich
Sitting with arms crossed, hunched on the bench in her glass cage, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, is the quietest of the three women, but her statements are often the most complicated.
Read more 

Pussy Riot profile: Maria Alyokhina
Maria Alyokhina, 24, has emerged as the unofficial spokeswoman of Pussy Riot, making impassioned speeches and conducting sharp questioning of witnesses from inside the glass cage where she had been tried with her bandmates. 
Read more

Pussy Riot profile: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
At 22, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has a long history of political activism, often in cohort with her husband, Pyotr Verzilov, who has championed Pussy Riot's cause in Russia and abroad. She has been described as the evil genius behind Pussy Riot. 
Read more

Media:

There has been an overwhelming number of articles supporting the Pussy Riot musicians. Click the following Google search link for more

Telegraph, August 13, 2012
Pussy Riot's stunning victory over Putin's bureaucrats
A guilty verdict is an almost foregone conclusion since acquittals by Russian courts are virtually unheard of. In 92 per cent of the 178 cases overseen by Judge Syrova, the defendants have been found guilty. However, what is more interesting than the outcome is how the Russian system set out to punish three young punk anarchists, and ended up playing into their hands by making their case a Dreyfus affair at home and a cause célèbre abroad. Read more here...

Guardian newspaper, Aug 8, 2012
Pussy Riot trial: closing statement denounces Putin's 'totalitarian system' Read more 

Guardian newsapaper, August 7, 2012
Pussy Riot: Madonna supports punk trio at concert in Russia Read more

Guardian newspaper, August 7, 2012
Pussy Riot trial: prosecutors call for three-year jail term Read more

Pussy Riot: 'Russian courts are boring … but this week it's been like an American movie'
It's 100% sure the girls will be convicted. The question is only: how long will they get?

Independent blog, August 2, 2012
As Pussy Riot's trial begins, Putin's opposition grows stronger

WAToday, August 2, 2012
Pussy Riot may determine Russia's future

Reuters, August 2, 2012
Russian lawyers say  Pussy Riot  women mistreated

Guardian newspaper, UK: August 2, 2012
Pussy Riot: UK music stars publish protest letter here

Telegraph, UK, August 2, 2012
Pussy Riot prove punk still has power 

BBC news, August 2, 2012
Jarvis Cocker exhorts Putin over Pussy Riot case 

Guardian, UK, August 2, 2012
Pussy Riot: UK music stars publish protest letter

The Australian, August 2, 2012
Rock stars chime in on Putin vs Pussy Riot

The Independent, August 1, 2012
Mary Dejevsky: Pussy Riot's enemies don't stop at Vladimir Putin‎  

New Statesman, July 31, 2012

Russian lawyers say Pussy Riot women mistreated

‎Telegraph, July 30, 2012
Pussy Riot on trial in watershed case for Vladimir Putin's presidency‎ 

The Independent, August 2, 2012
Syria tops agenda as David Cameron meets Vladimir Putin‎ 
The Prime Minister is also expected to urge Mr Putin to address growing concerns about human rights in Russia itself following his controversial re-election as president in March. A group of leading musicians has called in particular for a fair hearing to be given to members of a punk band facing prison for performing what they say was a "legitimate protest". The trio Pussy Riot face up to seven years behind bars after staging a performance in a Moscow cathedral calling on the Virgin Mary to remove President Putin from power.

Guardian, July 31, 2012
Pussy Riot trail: theatre of the absurd