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September 21, 2012

Suu Kyi Voices Support for Jailed Pussy Riot Members 
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The Russian punk group Pussy Riot will be awarded the Lennon Ono Peace
Award by the artist and activist Yoko Ono today in New York City. Three
members of Pussy Riot were sentenced last month to two years in prison
for staging a protest against Russian leader Vladimir Putin inside an
Orthodox cathedral. The husband of jailed member Nadia Tolokonnikova
will accept the award today. Pyotr Verzilov is in the United States
along with Pussy Riot's legal team in a bid to gather U.S. support for
the group members' release. On Thursday, Pussy Riot received a boost
from Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently on
her first visit to the United States in more than three decades.

Aung San Suu Kyi: "I don't see why people shouldn't sing whatever it is
that they want to sing, and there's nothing wrong with singing. I think
the only reason why people should not sing is if what they are saying is
deliberately insulting or if they sing terribly. I think that would be
the best reason for not singing at all. So I would like the whole group
to be released as soon as possible."

 

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