Red Hot Chili Peppers And Franz Ferdinand Voice Support For Three Female Members Of The Punk Band Pussy Riot Imprisoned In Moscow

On tour in Moscow over the weekend, two rock bands spoke out in support of fellow musicians and members of the band Pussy Riot, who are currently residing in a Moscow prison for promoting "hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred." 

Back in March, while Russia was experiencing intense protests against the rule of Vladimir Putin, four members of the all-female, highly-controversial feminist punk band Pussy Riot donned masks and staged a high-profile protest against the church's support for the former Russian officer. The women began to gather a crowd and create mayhem around the altar of the Christ the Savior Cathedral, a place where Russia's leaders traditionally celebrate religious holidays. The women also lead an anti-Putin "punk prayer."

Three members of the Russian band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, were detained in Moscow and charged with "hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred"  and each may now face up to seven years in prison.

At the outdoor festival Afisha Picnic held in Moscow on Sunday, Franz Ferdinand's front man Alex Kapranos opened up the song "This Fire" with these words, as reported by The Guardian, "[It] is dedicated to all of those musicians that end up in jail for just saying what they think." He later stated his opinions on Twitter, calling Vladimir Putin a "dangerous ... hypocrite" for jailing critics while still claiming "to be a fan of John Lennon."

On the same weekend, founders of the band the Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis and Michael "Flea" Balzary Flea spoke out at Moscow's Luzniky Stadium, with Kiedis sporting a Pussy Riot T-shirt. Kiedis also sent a letter to Tolokonnikova's husband, writing, "Nadya and Katya and Masha, we love you, we love to support you and are here to help you," with Flea adding, "I pray for your release."

Tolokonnikova, Alekhina, and Samutsevich were denied bail this week and could remain behind Moscow bars until January. Although many groups are campaigning for the rockers' release, supporters of Putin and the church believe they should be punished to the fullest. Spokesman of the church Vsevolod Chaplin said about the female prisoners in a statement last month, "This sin will be punished in this life and the next."