Pussy Riot 'pays tribute' to Moscow for award nomination in Singapore

Pussy Riot's nomination for an arts award in Singapore should be extended to the Russian government for giving prominence to the protest collective by jailing members over their "Punk Prayer" video, two of its members said with heavy sarcasm.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, released from prison in December just before the end of their two-year terms, drew attention at a media event yesterday for 20 Asian artists in the running for the Prudential Eye Awards.

Pussy Riot, whose "Punk Prayer" featured members performing a profanity-laced protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow cathedral in 2012, is shortlisted in the digital-video category. The awards ceremony takes place today.

"We are talking about our work with media, how to take a single thought and spread it across the world. That is what we did in co-operation with the Russian state," Tolokonnikova said.

"This award is not only for us but for the whole political system that exists in Russia today."

With Russia about to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi next month, the Pussy Riot case plays prominently in criticism about civil liberties, human rights and the Putin administration's treatment of dissent.