Pussy Riot, photo by Igor Mukhin

Russian police have announced that they are actively searching for the remaining four members of the punk/protest band Pussy Riot. The women released their latest anti-Putin song on Friday, as three of their members were sentenced to two years in prison for a March protest against then candidate Vladimir Putin inside a Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

Five of the seven members of the band took part in the Cathedral protest. Only three were identified and tried.

Announcing this search for the members of the band is being viewed as a veiled threat against the band – shut up or else. President Vladimir Putin is not going to tolerate opposition to his authoritative rule, from too-independent businessmen, political opponents or citizen protesters. Publicly announcing this womanhunt could also backfire. Pussy Riot is immensely popular, and the police in Moscow could quickly find themselves spotting as many brightly colored balaclavas as we spot Anonymous masks. Liberty is not a genie easily put back in the bottle, and Russians have had twenty years of it.

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