On Friday, members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for an anti-Putin performance in a Moscow church. Ever since the trial began, Canadian ex-pat, now Berliner, Peaches has taken up the torch, calling attention to the band's strange plight and for their freedom to express criticism of the state through their art. We reached Peaches in China:
Q: Pussy Riot just received a two-year sentence. Now what?
A: Appeals, rallies, letters.
Q: Just watching your activity on social media, I'd go so far as to say that Pussy Riot's persecution has consumed no small amount of your attention. What is it about this issue in particular that has driven you to make it your primary focus?
A: I'm sure that if I lived in Russia I would have done the same thing. I could not stand the crackdown on freedom of expression, which includes no public display of homosexuality.
Q: Have you met Pussy Riot before? Can you give us any insight into their personality? Two years in a Russian prison is harsh by any measure, how do you think they'll hold up?
A: I have not met them personally. Those girls have shown they are brave.
Related:
CBC News: Pussy Riot sentences just the latest crackdowns by Putin's Kremlin