Pink Floyd star Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel and Hole's Patty Schemel have added their voices to the chorus of support for the jailed members of Russian punk group Pussy Riot.
Feminist rockers Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were sentenced to serve two years behind bars in Moscow earlier this month (Aug12) after they were found guilty of hooliganism following a protest gig at a city church.
Celebrities like Madonna, Sir Paul MCCartney and Sex Pistols star John Lydon joined fans in calling for the trio's freedom - and now several more big stars have added their names to an Amnesty International Usa petition.
Earlier this week (begs27Aug12), the current owners of the Cbgb brand behind New York's fabled punk club hand-delivered the petition to the prosecutor's office in Moscow and met with Tolokonnikova's husband.
Cbgb boss Tim Hayes tells Rolling Stone, "Amnesty International had 100,000 signatures and took them to the Russian Embassy in Washington, and were physically removed from the building.
"I decided to take the single letter signed by the celebrities and hand-deliver it to the prosecutor's office in Moscow. While we were in Moscow, we went to a Pussy Riot rally, and we met with family members and Nadia Tolokonnikova's husband. Nadia really runs Pussy Riot, and she's been in prison for five months. We met with their legal team and other supporters, and spent the weekend working with them.
"The three girls are still in the Moscow jail, which is where they had to await their trial... They've been denied any communication with anyone other than their attorneys. So they cannot talk to family members. Nadia has a four-year-old child, and they can't talk to family members, they can't have visitors."