A Russian artist has sewn his mouth shut in support of punk band Pussy Riot after three members of the group were imprisoned.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich face up to seven years in jail on charges of hooliganism after they showed their opposition to President Vladimir Putin by performing their protest song Holy S**t during a church gig in February (12).
Artist Petr Pavlensky has now waded into the controversy by standing with his lips stitched together outside St. Petersburg's Kazan Cathedral on Monday (23Jul12), holding a banner which read, "Pussy Riot act is a replay of a famous act by Jesus Christ".
Police called an ambulance for Pavlensky and a doctor examined him at the scene.
Human rights activists at Amnesty International called for the release of the musicians last month (Jun12), insisting they are "prisoners of conscience".