Tonight: Pussy Riot at Barclays Center to Shed Light on Human Rights Abuses in Putin's Russia

CBGB Festival Present Activists For Amnesty International To Share Stories of a Different Russia, Just Days Before Sochi Winter Games 

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the world's attention turns to Sochi, Russia, and the start of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, two of Russia's most well-known and outspoken advocates are in Brooklyn, telling of a very different Russia than the one portrayed by Vladimir Putin.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140205/DC60152)

CBGB Festival has flown Nadezhda "Nadya" Tolokonnikova and Maria "Masha" Alyokhina to New York to participate in tonight's Amnesty International Concert, Executive Produced by punk rock legends CBGB Festival, to share stories of the Russia they know, one where they were jailed for nearly two years after shooting an anti-Putin video in a church.

By sharing their experiences, they are hoping to spread the message that speaking out is a freedom worth fighting for.

"The world is changing places rapidly and it is time to bring back the spirit of the original Amnesty Concerts. Russia's current situation will engage new citizens to join the fights Amnesty International is committed to," Tim Hayes, CBGB Festival founder and tonight's executive producer, said.

Imagine Dragons, The Frey, Ms. Lauren Hill, The Flaming Lips, Cake, Yoko Ono, The Cold War Kids, Colbie Caillat, Tegan and Sara and Sir Bob Geldoff will be joining Pussy Riot on stage tonight at 8pm at the Barclay's Center to send the message to the world that human rights are not something we can afford to ignore.

As the world gets the first glimpses of a Sochi 'not quite ready for prime time,' Brooklyn will get first-hand reports of the human rights violations that Pussy Riot has been exposing for years, shedding light on what life in Russia can really be like for those who dare to speak out.

From 1986 to 1998, Amnesty International was known for their "Human Rights Concerts" with headliners that included such mega-stars as Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Peter Gabriel. Tonight's concert will be a return to that spirit of shedding light on human rights atrocities around the world

About CBGB & OMFUG and CBGB Productions:
CBGB has been discovering and presenting the best in live music and culture for 40 years. Since 2012, CBGB Productions has been creating unique and unforgettable experiences through the production of live events, such as the annual CBGB Music and Film Festival, the country's largest entertainment festival of its kind. Learn more at http://www.cbgb.com.  

Contact: Lindsay SanGiacomo, (917) 327-4919, [email protected]

SOURCE CBGB