Pussy Riot members sentenced to 2 years in prison

PARIS – They're asking for undies on heads, masks, and as much color as possible. Organizers of protests in more than three dozen cities around the world are hoping for thousands to turn out in raucous support of the Russian femme provocateurs Pussy Riot, who are facing sentencing Friday in Moscow.

  • Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Riot protest for the release of three band members, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church.

    By Max Nash, AFP/Getty Images

    Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Riot protest for the release of three band members, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church.

By Max Nash, AFP/Getty Images

Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Riot protest for the release of three band members, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church.

The three women in the band have been in jail for more than five months because of a prank in Moscow's main cathedral against Russia's Vladimir Putin, and face a maximum seven years in jail.

Celebrities including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Bjork have called for them to be freed, and protests are planned around the world Friday. The trial has attracted worldwide attention as an emblem of Russia's intolerance of dissent.

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