On the eve of tonight's 2012 Video Music Awards, MTV News sent questions to members of the Russian agitprop collective, Pussy Riot, asking them to respond to the growing list of artists who have shown solidarity with the wave of international outrage that has followed the two-year sentencing of fellow members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevichand for "hooliganism." 
 
 The group released a 90-second video moments ago showing the remaining members of the collective unfurling a massive banner, thanking Madonna, Bjork, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day for their solidarity while rappelling down a building and defiantly declaring, "The fight for freedom is an endless battle that is bigger than life!" Then — in a loaded political statement — they burn a photo of Vladimir Putin. 
 
 On February 21, five members of Pussy Riot staged an impromptu demonstration in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, in which they stormed the soleas (or sanctuary), crossed themselves, and performed a "punk prayer" that asked the Virgin Mary to rid the country of president Vladimir Putin. 
 
 On March 3, two of the women behind the demonstration, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, were arrested by Russian police on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." Two weeks later, a third member of the group, Samutsevich, was also arrested on the same charges. The three members of Pussy Riot would then spend the next five months in detention, awaiting a trial date while their case made international headlines and caught the attention of a wide collective of musicians, including the aforementioned Madonna, the Chili Peppers and Green Day. 
 
 Finally, on August 17, amidst protests outside a Moscow courthouse, Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova and Samutsevich were found guilty, and sentenced to two years in a Russian penal colony. The decision was quickly met with derision from human rights groups like Amnesty International (who called it "a travesty") and outrage from the global community; demonstrations were staged around the world with demands that the trio be set free. To date, that request has not been met. 
 
 Some see Pussy Riot as freedom fighters, especially given Putin's contentious re-election and the country's crackdown on all manner of civil protests. To others, however, Pussy Riot are little more than a nuisance, rabble-rousers who, with their Christ the Saviour performance, went too far, insulting the deeply held religious beliefs that have guided the nation for centuries. 
 
 MTV News will solicit artist reactions to the video on the 2012 Video Music Awards red carpet tonight at 7 p.m. ET/PT during the pre-show. 
 
 Meanwhile, what do you think? Are Pussy Riot political prisoners, or (as some have claimed) "blasphemers" who got what they deserved? Are their actions protests, performance art, or just plain offensive? Sound off below. ||||| Editor's note: Rachel Denber is deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch. 
 
 Moscow (CNN) -- There is no basic human right to barge into a church to make a political statement, jump around near the altar, and shout obscenities. But there is most certainly the right not to lose your liberty for doing so, even if the act is offensive. 
 
 But that is exactly what happened Friday. A court in Moscow sentenced the three members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot to two years in prison. 
 
 In my two decades monitoring human rights in Russia I've never seen anything like the Pussy Riot case -- the media attention, the outpouring of public support, the celebrity statements for the detained and criminally charged punk band members. 
 
 The image of three young women facing down an inexorable system of unfair justice and an oppressive state has crystallized for many in the West what is wrong with human rights in Russia. To be sure, it is deeply troubling. 
 
 For me, even more shocking were the images of Stanislav Markelov, a human rights lawyer, lying on the sidewalk with the back of his head blown off in 2009, or the body of tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in prison in 2009 after he blew the whistle on a massive government extortion scheme. 
 
 The Pussy Riot case shines a much needed, if highly disturbing, spotlight on the issue of freedom of expression in post-Soviet Russia 
 
 On February 21, four members of the group performed what they call a "punk prayer" in Moscow's Russian Orthodox Christ the Savior Cathedral. They danced around and shouted some words to their song, "Virgin Mary, Get Putin Out." The stunt lasted less than a minute before the women were forcibly removed. 
 
 The same day, a video widely shared on social media showed a montage of the stunt with the song spliced in. The song criticizes the Russian Orthodox Church's alleged close relationship with the Kremlin and the personally close relationship of President Vladimir V. Putin with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. 
 
 Three of the band members were tried on criminal "hooliganism" charges. Their trial was theater of the absurd. In their closing statements, the women and their lawyers delivered devastating critiques of the state of justice and civic freedoms in Russia. 
 
 During the Soviet era, the human rights landscape in Russia was stark. But since then the situation has been harder to figure out, often making it easier for outsiders simply to give the government a pass. But the devil is in the details. 
 
 It has been incredibly difficult to pin down any involvement of officials in the beatings and murders of investigative journalists and human rights activists. And the government, while not silencing civil society groups outright, tries to marginalize, discredit, and humiliate them, and crush them with heavy-handed bureaucracy, trumped-up accusations, threats and the like. 
 
 Whatever misdemeanor the three women incurred for their antics in the church should not have been transformed by the authorities into a criminal offense that in effect punishes them for their speech. It's typical, though, of how the authorities try to keep a lid on controversial issues. The Russian think tank SOVA has documented dozens of cases in recent years in which the authorities used the threat of extremism charges to silence critics. 
 
 This also isn't the first time Russian authorities have misused criminal legislation to stifle critical artistic expression. In 2010 a Moscow district court found the co-organizers of a controversial art exhibit guilty of the vague charge of "inciting religious hatred." The art exhibit organizers were fined. 
 
 By making the Pussy Riot band members await trial in jail for almost six months, the authorities made clear how they plan to set boundaries for political criticism. 
 
 After a winter of unprecedented, peaceful opposition protests, a dozen demonstrators whom the authorities claim were involved in a scuffle with police during a mass demonstration in May have been arrested and are being charged with crimes grossly disproportionate to their alleged actions. Police have searched opposition leaders' homes. 
 
 Laws rammed through Russia's parliament this summer sent more signals: criminal liability for leaders of nongovernmental organizations for "serious breaches" of new restrictive regulations; much tougher sanctions for violating rules on public assembly; and new restrictions on the Internet that could easily shut down big social networking sites. Critics of the Kremlin have been subject to vicious harassment, intimidation and grotesque public smear campaigns. 
 
 For years Russian human rights defenders have tried to draw attention to the lack of independence of the courts. With the unprecedented attention to the Pussy Riot trial, the surreal state of justice when political interests are at stake is there for all to see. What we really should be wondering isn't why Pussy Riot is so distinctive, but whether it's just the tip of the iceberg. 
 
 Too often, foreign governments have resorted to wishful thinking about the direction Russia is heading. Talking about human rights at a high level -- where all things in Russia are decided -- is unpleasant business. It might be hard, but Russia won't respect other governments if they shy away. 
 
 If three women in the defendants' cage had the courage to speak out about where Russia is headed, surely members of the international community should too. They, at least, won't be thrown in jail. 
 
 Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter 
 
 Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion 
 
 The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rachel Denber. ||||| Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin listens to a question during a national call-in TV show in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. Putin said Thursday the results of Russia's parliamentary election... (Associated Press) 
 
 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected opposition calls for a rerun of the parliamentary election, accusing those who organized massive protests against vote fraud of working to weaken Russia at the West's behest. 
 
 In blustery remarks likely to further fuel anger against his 12-year rule, Putin insisted the Dec. 4 parliamentary election, which drew allegations of fraud and triggered the largest protests in Russia in 20 years, was a genuine reflection of the people's will. He sought to put a positive spin on the protests that dented his power and threatened his bid to reclaim presidency in next March's vote, saying they reflected a rise in public activity that he welcomes. 
 
 But in a characteristic move, he accused protest organizers of working to destabilize the country on orders from the West. 
 
 "That's a well-organized pattern of destabilizing society," Putin said in a call-in TV show. 
 
 Last week, Putin dismissed criticism of the vote by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of U.S. efforts to weaken Russia. 
 
 "They still fear our nuclear potential," he said. "We also carry an independent foreign policy, and, of course, it's an impediment for some." 
 
 Previous editions of the annual national call-in show have been largely an opportunity for Putin to brag for hours about improvements in the country, but this one was unusually confrontational. Both callers and studio participants repeatedly raised questions about the election, the anti-fraud protests and the country's repression of opposition groupings. 
 
 In the vote, Putin's United Russia party lost about 20 percent of its seats in the election and no longer has the two-thirds majority that allowed it to change constitution at will in the previous parliament. It barely retained a majority in the State Duma, and opposition parties and some vote monitors said even that result was inflated by ballot-stuffing and other violations. 
 
 The opposition is calling for the parliamentary election to be annulled and rerun. Putin's insistence the election was valid indicates no immediate resolution to Russia's political tensions is in sight. 
 
 The unprecedented wave of protest poses a significant challenge to Putin less than three months before presidential elections in which he seeks to return to the Kremlin. 
 
 Putin alleged the organizers of Saturday's demonstration by tens of thousands in Moscow had paid some participants, calling them sheep. He also unleashed his occasional penchant for dismissive and earthy remarks, when asked about the white ribbons that have been adopted by many as a protest symbol. 
 
 Putin said when he saw the protest footage on television, he thought the demonstrators "put some condoms" on their sleeves to promote safe sex. 
 
 The harsh comments and his insistence that the Dec. 4 election was valid will likely fuel anger and may draw even bigger crowds for protests later this month. 
 
 Putin also lashed out at U.S. Sen. John McCain, who had goaded him with a Twitter post saying "the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you." 
 
 "He has the blood of peaceful civilians on his hands, and he can't live without the kind of disgusting, repulsive scenes like the killing of Gadhafi," Putin said, referring to McCain's role as a combat pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam. 
 
 "Mr. McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years," he said. "Anyone (in his place) would go nuts." 
 
 Putin said the results of Russia's parliamentary election properly reflected the people's will, and that the opposition had alleged vote fraud purely to strengthen its position. 
 
 "The results of this election undoubtedly reflect the real balance of power in the country," he said on the TV show. "It's very good that United Russia has preserved its leading position." 
 
 He added that a drop in support for his party was a natural result of the global financial crisis of 2008, which has taken its toll on Russians. 
 
 Putin brushed off the vote fraud claims as part of the opposition's maneuvering ahead of the presidential election, and said any complaints should go to the courts. He alleged that some protest leaders have been acting at Western behest to weaken Russia. 
 
 "The opposition goal's is to fight for power, and it's looking for every chance to advance," he said, insisting the vote results genuinely reflected the people's will. 
 
 The opposition has been energized by the huge Moscow protest and simultaneous rallies in some 60 other cities. It also senses a new weakness in United Russia _ blamed for a good amount of the corruption that plagues Russia _ that has dented Putin's power. 
 
 Putin sought to counter public discontent with the alleged fraud by proposing Thursday to place web cameras at each of Russia's more than 90,000 polling stations by the March 4 presidential vote. 
 
 "Let them be there next to every ballot box to avoid any falsifications," he said. 
 
 Asked about the presidential bid by one of Russia's richest tycoons, Mikhail Prokhorov, Putin said he would welcome a strong competitor. The 46-year-old Prokhorov, estimated to be worth $18 billion, made his fortune in metals, banking and media. He also owns 80 percent in the New Jersey Nets. 
 
 Prokhorov said Thursday that his first move if elected will be to pardon jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has been in jail since 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges widely seen as a punishment for defying Putin's power. Khodorkovsky was once Russia's richest man. 
 
 Prokhorov also vowed to allow free registration of opposition parties and restore popular elections of provincial governors if he wins the March vote. 
 
 Putin has marginalized opposition forces, tightened election rules and abolished direct elections of governors. 
 
 Putin defended those moves as necessary to prevent criminal clans and separatist forces from dominating the gubernatorial elections, but suggested that he may allow their election in the future. He said candidates for governors still should be nominated by the president, but could then be put to a direct popular vote. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Nataliya Vasiyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.
– Protesters be damned, Vladimir Putin outright rejected calls for new elections today in a marathon appearance on a call-in show. Instead, notes the AP, he continued to place the blame for the widespread protests on the West's "well-organized pattern of destabilizing society," adding that they "still fear our nuclear potential," and that Russia's "independent foreign policy" is "an impediment for some." Putin's characteristically bellicose appearance carried a number of gems, and could spark some backlash: On John McCain's tweet that 'the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you': "He has the blood of peaceful civilians on his hands, and he can't live without the kind of disgusting, repulsive scenes like the killing of Gadhafi. Mr. McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone (in his place) would go nuts." On the protest movement: It is "absolutely normal as long as everyone acts within the framework of the law. I saw ... mostly young people, active and with positions that they expressed clearly. This makes me happy, and if that is the result of the Putin regime, that's good—there's nothing bad about it." On the protesters' white ribbons (via the New York Times): “I have to say honestly, when I saw on television several people wearing these things on their chests, I know it’s indecent, but anyway, I thought it was some kind of propaganda in the fight against AIDS, as if they put a condom there, and tied it for some reason." On March 4 presidential elections: "Let (web cameras) be there next to every ballot box to avoid any falsifications." Click for Gawker's take on Putin's "ridiculous" plastic surgery.