One of 2012’s most interesting news stories regards Pussy Riot, the Russian band with members currently in jail for an anti-Putin protest.

This February, the group performed in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, as part of a series of protests against the Russian president from earlier in the year. Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and – later – Ekaterina Samutsevitch were arrested, accused of “hooliganism”. They face up to seven years in jail for their crimes. Tolokonnikova has since gone on hunger strike, and the imprisoned group members have gathered support from music fans throughout Europe.

Now, a Russian artist, Petr Pavlensky [above], has sewn his mouth shut in protest, standing in front of St. Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral with a banner that claims “Pussy Riot act is a replay of a famous act by Jesus Christ.” So in case you couldn’t have guessed, even the artists are hard in Russia. Bet nobody’s pulling this shit over GEMA. You can watch the full news story over at ITN.