Sir Paul Mccartney - Paul Mccartney Adds Voice To The Growing Support Of Pussy Riot

The arrest has been seen by many as a heavy-handed crackdown on dissent against the Russian government, and stars including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna have recently come out in support of their musical peers. MCCartney is now the latest to join the calls to free them. Afp reports that he wrote an open letter to them, which read "Dear Nadya, Katya and Masha, I'm writing to show my support for you at this difficult time. I would like you to know that I very much hope the Russian authorities would support the principle of free speech for all their citizens and not feel that they have to punish you for your protest."

Continuing, he added "Many people in the civilised world are allowed to voice their opinions ... as long as they do not hurt anyone in doing so. I believe this is the best way forward for all societies. I hope you can stay strong and believe that I and many others like me who believe in free speech will do everything in our power to support you and the idea of artistic freedom. Wishing you the very best of luck, Paul MCCartney."