Freedoms silenced in Moscow

The jailing in Moscow of three members of the punk rock group Pussy Riot is a stark reminder of the importance of free speech and the right to dissent within a functioning democracy.

The two-year sentence imposed on the trio demonstrates that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is not such a democracy, and also highlights the precious status of individual freedoms.

Maria Alyokhina, 24, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, have paid a high price for exercising their right to dissent. After being found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”. they now face a long period of incarceration.