Pussy Riot Flee Russia As Jailed Members Appeal Conviction

Two members of Russian punk protest collective Pussy Riot have fled the country in the wake of a hooliganism conviction for three of the band's members.

The band, staunch in stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, have caught the attention of the music world following a protest in a Moscow church in February. Arrests occurred after five members performed their track Mother Of God, Drive Putin Out and three members – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich – were recently sentenced to two years in jail each.

There are believed to be over a dozen individuals who count themselves as members of Pussy Riot, and on Twitter they have announced that two unnamed members have made it out of the country.

Following the arrests and convictions, the global arts community has been outspoken in condemning Russia's strict laws, which stem from the government's close ties to the church, even though Russia is a secular nation.

The band have also appealed their sentences.