Madonna tells Moscow she prays for Pussy Riot
From the AFP:
US pop icon Madonna said Tuesday at her Moscow concert that she prayed for the freedom of the three members of the Pussy Riot protest band who face three years in jail for insulting Vladimir Putin in a church.
“I know there are many sides to every story,” said Madonna, calling a February 21 performance for which the band members could be sent to a penal colony “courageous.”
“The three girls – Masha, Katya, Nadya, I think – they paid the price and I pray for their freedom,” she said to cheers from her Moscow fans.
“They deserve the right to be free. I pray for your freedom,” she said, addressing the detained group members.
Madonna waded into Russia’s most heated political controversy after arriving just as the three young women prepared to hear their sentence later this week.
The group staged a stunt performance inside Moscow’s massive Christ the Saviour Cathedral during which they belted out words to a song denouncing the Church’s backing for Putin and calling for the Russian strongman’s ouster.
The performance came just two weeks before Putin’s thumping win in elections that returned him to the presidency for a third term despite street protests from his liberal critics in Moscow and a few other large cities.
Madonna paused roughly midway through her highly theatrical performance that played heavily on religious themes to say she dreamt of a world where everyone was free to express themselves as they chose.
The US pop legend added that she felt fortunate to be living in a country where she enjoyed freedom of speech.
“I have the right to express my point of view,” she said while adding that she prayed for others to obtain the same right.
Madonna’s performance was preceded by calls from influential Russian Orthodox Church supporters to ban the concert.
Local media reports said a small picket was also staged Tuesday outside the star’s Moscow hotel.