Icon-like signs have appeared in the city of Novosibirsk portraying a masked member of the all-female punk band Pussy Riot, which has gained notoriety after two of its members were jailed last week for participating in an unsanctioned performance at Christ the Savior Cathedral.
The images feature a figure in a purple mask and red cloak — reminiscent of the bright clothes that are the band's trademarks — and were placed on sidewalk billboards. At the top of the signs are the letters "SVBD PSRT," apparently a shortened version of the message "Free Pussy Riot."
Photographs of the signs were posted on the website of magazine Kissmybabushka.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were arrested last week after Pussy Riot's five-minute performance at the cathedral on Feb. 21. A Moscow court ordered the two women to remain in custody until April 24 while they await trial on charges of hooliganism.
At an opposition rally on Saturday, many demonstrators held signs calling for the release of the jailed band members. Representatives of the Orthodox Church have said they believe the two women, both of whom have young children, should be let go.
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