Please use Twitter and/or Facebook etc. to spread the appeal to release the Pussy Riot Three.

http://webmail.amnesty.org.uk/interface/external_view_email.php?J91452707407538061034746302315

Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot are facing years in jail after performing a protest gig in a church. The verdict in their trial is due this Friday 17 August, so we urgently need your help.

So what was their 'crime'?

The three young women were arrested in March for performing a song in Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral calling on the Virgin Mary to 'redeem us of [Russian President] Putin' and cut ties between Church and State. They have been in detention ever since, denied access to their families – including their young children.

The women's choice of venue and anarchist lyrics may not be to everyone's taste. But the Russian authorities' response is completely unjustified and intended to silence their criticism of the government. We're calling on officials in Moscow to release them immediately and drop all charges.

Thank you,
Champa Patel
Head of Casework and Activism