Russian punk rock girls and feminist performance art collective, Pussy Riot hit the world news when three members of the group were arrested, tried and sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism”, with the sentence validated by Vladimir Putin himself. Other members of the collective have gone into hiding or have fled the country, fearing similar prosecution. The riot grrls performed controversial songs in public places, such as churches or in front of public monuments, where the contrast of their anti-government or other challenging lyrics were met with government response to shut down their performances. While the Putin-run Russian government still operates in a totalitarian state where political speech is controlled, musical entertainers had generally been permitted to perform with freedom of expression. Now how pussywhipped is the Russian government when it feels threatened by young women speaking out against their regime and promoting feminism. Russia has suppressed artists and writers in its past, but in recent times, most artists performed unrestricted by government intervention. But the Pussy Riot sentences display Putin’s tyrannical rule and have brought up questions about how liberal the new Russia really is or isn’t.

Pussy Riot dressed in punk girl attire with pastel balaclavas, Russian hats typically worn in the winter to keep one’s face warm, but in this case to mask their identities and focus the crowds on the messages they were communicating in their performances. Many esteemed musicians around the world have been organizing live concert events and speaking out against Putin’s sentence and the suppression of free speech for the Pussy Riot performance artists. These musical artists include: Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Patti Smith, Peter Gabriel, various riot grrl punk bands, the dj Peaches and more. Other groups such as Amnesty International and various human rights groups are monitoring the situation, but there has been no concession by Putin or his henchmen to release the sentenced members, so far…