Why International Support for Pussy Riot Could Backfire

Russian-American musician and writer Alina Simone says she thinks this international attention could end up alienating ordinary Russians and create more support for the Kremlin.

Conflict & Justice

Russian-American singer and writer Alina Simone (Photo: Matthew Spencer)

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Three members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot face sentencing in a Moscow court on Friday.

The women could spend up to seven years in prison if convicted on charges of hooliganism.

They’ve been in jail since February after they broke into a Moscow cathedral and performed a “punk prayer” at the altar in a protest against Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Several top Western musicians, including Paul McCartney and Madonna, have expressed support for the jailed Pussy Riot rockers.

But Russian-American musician and writer Alina Simone tells anchor Marco Werman that she thinks the excessive media attention Pussy Riot has gotten could alienate ordinary Russians, and, she says, “…in a perverse way, strengthen support for Putin.”