Fellow provocateur Peaches has launched a petition speaking out against the detainment and trial of three members of Russian punk feminist art collective Pussy Riot. Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevitch have been detained since March by the Russian authorities, an arrest based on charges of "hooliganism" following their participation in a "punk prayer" at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The Russian court plans to release the verdict this Friday.
The petition demands the release of the three artists, suggesting that the Russian government's actions are "nothing more than a political stunt…to retain control over the Russian people and instill fear into the free-thinkers, political activists and artists of Russia." So far it has over 100,000 signatures attached, including those of some relatively famous musicians and people. The website also gives an address where supporters can send donations to Pussy Riot's legal defense fund.
Along with the petition, Peaches has released a song and video entitled "Free Pussy Riot." The video features many of the other musicians who have rallied behind the band's cause including Kate Nash, Lykke Li, Miike Snow, The Hives, and Peter Bjorn And John, as well as members of Scissor Sisters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Le Tigre, plus a mass of supporters wearing Pussy Riot's signature colorful balaclavas.