NEW YORK
(AP) — Yoko Ono and Amnesty International awarded the Russian punk band Pussy
Riot this year's LennonOno grant for peace.
Ono
presented the award to Pyotr Verzilov, husband of Nadia Tolokonnikova — one of
three imprisoned members of Pussy Riot sentenced in August to two years in
prison for performing an irreverent song mocking Russian President Vladimir
Putin inside Moscow's main cathedral.
"It's
a terrible thing that all three girls have been jailed for not doing anything
wrong. They were just standing for freedom of speech," Ono said at a
ceremony in New York City.
Verzilov
thanked Ono, saying the grant increased international pressure on Russian
authorities to release the women.
The
LennonOno Grant for Peace is given every two years to honor Yoko Ono's late
husband John Lennon's dedication to peace and human rights.
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