Pussy Riot speaks out for the first time

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: In a world where opposition isn’t welcome, punk rock collective band Pussy Riot found out the hard way what it meant to defy orders from Vladamir Putin — current and longtime  president of Russia.

Via a letter to their supporters hours ahead of the anticipated verdict that may or may not land them in a labor camp; this is what they had to say:

“Our being in jail is a clear and distinct sign that freedom is being taken away from the whole country,” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova writes in a letter to supporters. “And this threat of destruction of the liberating, emancipatory forces of Russia is what makes me angry.” The band, who were arresting for performing an anti-Putin “punk prayer” in a Moscow cathedral, have been in jail since March. “Something unbelievable is happening for modern Russian politics: the demanding, stubborn, authoritative and consistent impact of society on the authorities,” writes Tolokonnikova

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