By Thor Halvorssen - Global Minds | August 17, 2012 - 16:00 GMT 
A fiction writer from the Golden Age of Russian literature could never have dreamed up a scenario as absurd and a story as far-fetched as the persecution of the punk rock band Pussy Riot, found guilty on Friday (17 August) by a Russian court and sentenced to two years in prison...
As if this theater of the absurd wasn't enough, the Putin government raised the stakes when, outside the courthouse this morning, police beat and arrested Russian democracy activist (and HRF chairman) Garry Kasparov. He was freed hours later and is now under investigation for “biting” a police officer.
Those of us who attempt to keep human rights in the forefront of culture and of the public conversation can seldom find a greater gift than this perfect story. In this instance, it reveals the tyrannical nature of Vladimir Putin's neo-czarist regime.
Pussy Riot is a feminist punk rock group made up of 10 women who wear brightly colored balaclavas, tights, and short skirts. The group was formed in 2011 in response to then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's decision to run for president in his ongoing bid to remain de facto leader of Russia. The band campaigns for individual rights, democracy, and reform of the Russian justice system.
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