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Musicians Voice Support for Jailed Russian Punk Group

By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ

As a parade of Western celebrity musicians trek to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large Russian cities for popular summer shows, many are bringing the Kremlin a striking message of defiance:

With three members of a Russian punk group called Pussy Riot on trial for sneaking into Moscow's main cathedral and performing an anti-Kremlin song, foreign artists like Sting, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand and others have been using their concerts in Russia to rally for their release.

As my colleagues David M. Herszenhorn and Andrew Roth reported, the criminal trial of the three women, which began on Monday, is being watched as an indication of the lengths the Kremlin will go to squeeze political dissent following the election of Vlad imir V. Putin to a third term as president.

The three women were jailed following the performance in February and remain in custody. They face up to seven years in prison on charges of inciting religious hatred. Their opponents claim that their actions defiled the church and insulted believers. Russia's Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the Kremlin, has called for serious punishment. Others, even those unsettled by the crude performance, have called their nearly four-month imprisonment and the specter of more punishment draconian.

Not unsurprisingly, rights groups like Amnesty International have condemned what they see as politically motivated persecution of the women. But the involvement of international celebrities in such a case seems to be something new for modern Russia.

At a concert in Moscow this month, Mike Patton, the lead singer of the rock group Faith No More, appeared on stage in an orange and green balaclava like the ones typically worn by members of Pussy Riot. Several women in similar headgear were also allowed on stage where they called on concertgoers to join a protest in support of the group.

In concert in Moscow, rock group Faith No More shows support for Pussy Riot

At another Moscow concert this month, Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, wore a blue T-shirt with “Pussy Riot” written on it.

Red Hot Chili Peppers in Moscow

And at an outdoor concert in a Moscow park this month, the rock group Franz Ferdinand dedicated the song “This Fire” to the women.

“This song is dedicated to all those musicians who end up in jail for just saying what they think,” the band's front man, Alexander Kapranos, said on stage. “This is for the girls of Pussy Riot,” he said to cheers from the crowd.

Franz Ferdinand dedicated a song to Pussy Riot in Moscow

He went further on Twitter, apparently aiming his criticism directly at Mr. Putin, who has said he is fond of the Beatles.

Top Russian officials have yet to respond to the criticism, and it is not clear, short of barring c oncerts, what they could do to stop it. While some Russian musicians deemed critical of the government find it difficult to secure concert venues and get on the radio, officials almost never restrict access to foreign music. Rarely has there ever been a need to.

Foreign celebrities typically remain silent about the political situation in Russia, and some have received major honorariums to attend private parties and other events hosted by even the most unseemly officials.

Last year, the violinist Vanessa-Mae performed at the birthday party of Chechnya's leader, Ramzan A. Kadyrov, who has been implicated in kidnappings, torture and murder. Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude Van Damme also attended.

Foreign supporters of Pussy Riot have been joined by prominent artists, musicians and other cultural figures in Russia. Over 200 cultural figures signed a petition last month calling on the authorities to release the women.

Others have taken more extreme measures. Last week, Pyotr Pavlensky, a performance artist in St. Petersburg, chose to protest the Pussy Riot case by taking thick red thread and sewing his mouth shut.