Russian cultural figures sign petition for punk rockers
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 June 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian cultural figures sign petition for punk rockers, 27 June 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ff6aa4723.html [accessed 26 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 27, 2012
More than 100 of Russia's best-known cultural figures have signed a letter calling for authorities to release from jail three members of the female Pussy Riot punk band.
The signatories of the petition, published on June 27 in the "Moskovsky komsomolets" daily, include not only well-known opponents of President Vladimir Putin, such as author Boris Akunin, poet Dmitry Bykov, and the rock singer Yury Shevchuk, but also actrors Chulpan Khamatova and Yevgeny Mironov, who both appeared in videos earlier this year urging Russians to vote for Putin in the March elections.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alekhina of Pussy Riot have been held in pre-trial detention since March over their performance of an anti-Putin "punk prayer" in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral.
Based on reporting by AFP, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
