Pussy Riot Detained in Russia: How the Punk Protest Group Updated Supporters on Social

Maria Alyokhina and Olga Borisova of Pussy Riot, the Russian punk rock protest group known for its politically charged songs and music videos, were briefly detained and released Aug. 7 for protesting the 20-year imprisonment of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov in Siberia. 

Sentsov was charged with plotting terrorism acts, but his lawyer argues Sentsov was forced to confess for crimes he didn't commit. Sentsov's lawyer once defended Pussy Riot in court.

"With a linen and a pink can we made a banner and placed it on the bridge in such a way that it could be seen by people and by and residents of houses opposite," Pussy Riot wrote on Facebook. "[Sentsov], after going through tortures during the investigation, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Sentsov and Kolchenko case is one of the main and key political issues in the history of Russia."