“I thank Pussy Riot for standing firmly for freedom of expression and making all women proud,” said Ms. Ono, enunciating the band’s name in her signature clipped tone. The grant is awarded every two years as a tribute Ms. Ono's late husband, John Lennon.

It was hard to see Ms. Ono under her brimmed white hat–lowered diagonally over one eye--and sunglasses. The ceremony coincided with International Day of Peace, which perhaps accounted for Ms. Ono’s peace sign-patterned scarf.

Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of band member Nadia Tolokonnikova, accepted on the band’s behalf, since the three band members are currently being held in a temporary holding center in Moscow as they await an appeal. They were sentenced to two years in prison in August after calling for an end to the presidency Vladimir Putin during an unsanctioned concert inside Moscow’s main cathedral.

“They are located in separate cells and kept in special wing of the prison. They are monitored very heavily and video-taped 24/7 and basically treated like they are very dangerous criminals,” said Mr. Verzilov when asked about their band’s current status.

Amnesty International has declared the band members official “Prisoners of Conscience,” which means the human rights organization is mobilizing politically, organizing marches and otherwise trying to put pressure on the Russian Government to secure their release. Mr. Verzilov, as a representative for the band, met with senators and congressmen in Washington, D.C. yesterday in a bid to increase international pressure.

Gera, Ms. Tolokonnikova and Mr. Verzilov’s precocious four-year-old daughter, hammed it up for the cameras as Ms. Ono and Mr. Verzilov took turns speaking. Ms. Ono handed the puzzle-shaped award, which was made of frosted glass, to the blond four-year-old. At the end of the exchange, Gera grabbed the microphone and said “Thank You.”

“It is a gigantic honor for all of us and for the girls in prison. Yoko has shown her support to politically centered important issues since the 70s and all of us live with images of Yoko and John Lennon here in New York supporting the anti-Vietnam cause,” Mr. Verzilov said. “It’s incredible to see her after all these years bring attention to Pussy Riot in prison.”

Feminist Press releases new Pussy Riot e-book.

Eastern Europe's most famous band outside of Gogol Bordello (and Eugene Hütz met the rest of his crew in the LES, so there you go) Pussy Riot is still dealing with the fallout from the sentencing of three members to two years in prison for "hooliganism." But while Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich cool their heels in jail, the other nine members of the punk art collective have worked out a deal to speed along an e-book with Feminist Press.

From the release:

In just four weeks after the August 17 verdict to convict Pussy Riot, we are publishing the historic words that have captured the world’s attention. PUSSY RIOT! A Punk Prayer for Freedom collects previously unavailable material including letters from prison, closing courtroom statements by the defense attorneys, and poems in addition to the infamous punk prayer and new translations of the powerful courtroom statements. This eBook also includes galvanizing tributes from Yoko Ono, Johanna Fateman, Karen Finley, Justin Vivian Bond, Eileen Myles, and JD Samson. Proceeds from the sale of PUSSY RIOT! A Punk Prayer for Freedom will support the Pussy Riot legal defense team.

The digital book is only $2.99, for sale here. You can definitely afford it ... and if you can't, buy it anyway and print it out to sell copies to your ’zine-friendly friends. No one is saying you can't be entrepreneurial about this.

Shout it out, Pussy Riot (Twitter)

Fearing the same prosecution as their band mates, the remaining 12 members of Russia's Pussy Riot are running scared. Some of them literally.

Ever since three of the punk performance artists--Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alyokhina-- were sentenced to two years in a penal colony for singing a satirical hymn about Vladmir Putin in a Moscow cathedral, the rest of the 15-woman collective have been keeping a low profile as the Moscow police comb the streets in search.

But two of them made a break for it: Rumor has it a couple members escaped Russia in disguise, and are seeking asylum in a safer country. How do we know that? Well, how do we know anything these days? They wrote an update on Twitter.

From the group account's Twitter yesterday (translated from Russian):

“In connection with the search, our two participants have successfully left the country! They are recruiting foreign feminists for new actions!”

The names of the escaped women have not been released, though it shouldn't be hard for the ladies to find support: thousands of women marched in protest before and after the August 17th verdict, and there haven't been this many celebrities lending their name to a cause since Live Aid.

The Observer was waiting on the otherwise peaceful Upper East Side block as approximately 25 people cloaked in colorful masks and capes marched to the front of the consulate after the announcement of a guilty verdict and 2-year prison sentence being dealt to the feminist rock band.  We witnessed the protestors' songs and arrests at the consulate (six in total, a number confirmed by an NYPD spokesperson), their peaceful march down Madison Avenue and their closing rally in Times Square. See it all in the slideshow.

Meet the new NYT homepage editor. Hide your children.

The New York Times finally resolves its 'Pussy' issues, a Gawker writer gets a book deal inked, a media outlet's social media presence gets feisty, and more. Here are your Friday Power Lunch Media Briefs:

The Times Gets 'Pussy' In: There's been much discussion over a highly semantic and silly issue: Which newspapers are too prudish to use the name of embattled Russian band Pussy Riot? This Guardian story notes the fact that The New York Times wouldn't use the word in its copy; the Guardian story, filed at 12:21 EDT, is wrong.

It looks like the Times has finally given in after previously taking the conservative route in writing about the band, as the words "Pussy Riot" are on the front page of the Times’swebsite right now. See for yourself:

In the actual filing, the band's name makes the second paragraph. [NYT]

Tiananmen-Warner Center Coming Soon: The big New York Times Magazine story this week is about the Chinese state news agency spreading its influence. Not good. (The influence of state-run media, not the story.) [NYT]

Big Daddy Drew: Deadspin's poet laureate ("LeBron James is a Cocksucker") and Gawker's resident intellectual ("Is It Possible to Make a Successful Black Joke About Obama?"), Drew Magary, The Most 'Read Later' Man Alive, is getting another book deal, this one about parenting. From the Publisher's Lunch email list of new deals: "Deadspin and Gawker columnist Drew Magary's PUDDING SHORTS, a heartfelt and humorous memoir of the reality check that is American parenting." Yes, Drew Magary just made the most bold entry in "Scatological Book Title Jokes in the Parenting Section" since Everybody Poops.

Newsweek Clocks Time: One of the crafty scoundrels over at Newsweek’s Tumblr notes the one-month lag time between its own story about being far too interconnected via electronic communication (published in July) and a nearly identical premise for a Time cover story (published in August). BURN, Newsweek. BURN. You are the danger. Except for one thing: These are both massively outdated dead-horse premises that have been kicked beyond recognition and wrung dry by everyone but America's two major newsweeklies. Then again, its Tumblr will turn your pointer into a mustache, which is neat, because you can go around giving everything on its Tumblr a mustache. Try it, it's neat. [Newsweek Tumblr]

No Guff for Griffin! MSNBC president Phil Griffin called CNN "desperate." Because cable news networks are almost unilaterally despicable and useless to begin with, we should note here a particular lack of a dog in this fight—suffice to say that "desperate" is a very subjective term when we're discussing the depths cable news networks will descend to, and that the only decent measuring stick here is, quite frankly, who has less money. Also, if CNN is "desperate," at least it's making inspired moves (i.e. hiring Anthony Bourdain). [HuffPo]

Money Mark: If you were concerned The New York Times Co. would hire its CEO and not pay him enough, well, worry no more (also: Who are you and what are you on?). New Times Co. CEO Mark Thompson is going to make $1M a year, and $3M in performance-based stock and stock options.  Also, please note the Huffington Post's slideshow of the Times bureaucrats. [Reuters via Huffington Post]

HuffPo Gives Heave-Ho to New Ad-Sales Guy: Speaking of the Huffington Post, it kept its new sales chief on for only three months before canning him; he was one of three big new hires made for the restructuring that also included Lauren Kapp (a former NBC flack-turned-HuffPo flack who already bailed) and Janet Balis (the new HuffPo publisher). It was supposedly because of an old DWI that turned up on a background check, but something about this smells off, like everything else about "Arianna's" restructuring. [AdAge]

Geraldo, as Ever: If you're curious as to what class of clowning Geraldo Rivera has ascended to in his old age, there's this.

That's it for lunch. Not much shaking today, unless you've heard of something. Anything? Please send your Tips, Drudge Bait and "Too Soon" Yakov Smirnoff jokes regarding the delicate matter of Pussy Riot right this way.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

Photo from Twitter user @515LM.

At least three protesters have been arrested this morning at a demonstration at the Russian Consulate in Manhattan, according to an Observer reporter at the scene. Pictures of the arrests, like the one above, quickly appeared on Twitter.  The demonstration was part of a day of protests planned in support of three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who were found guilty of hooliganism today by a Russian court and sentenced to two years in prison.

At shortly after 10am, NYPD officers issued an order to disperse to 25 demonstrators assembled at 9 East 91st Street, who were warned that they could be arrested for disorderly conduct. Some demonstrators left, but Daphne Carr -- who organized the rally -- objected, stating, "We're not doing anything wrong. It's okay to take up half the sidewalk." Another protester, Marlena Beridze, told The Observer: "My English is poor but I'm not scared a bit. For what? What did I do wrong?"

Another protestor identified herself as Ann Pettibone, 63, an ESL teacher. "I can't believe Pussy Riot was even arrested," she told The Observer. "I saw the photo of the girls in a box and I started Googling more and more about them."

Despite the arrests, those assembled said they would begin their scheduled march to Times Square at 11:15am.

More on this story as it develops.

Update, 12:05 pm:

Masha Gessen with her children. (Photo by Jessi Rucker)

The Observer spoke with prominent Russian American journalist Masha Gessen, who read at last night's solidarity event at the Ace Hotel, as she marched with the protesters on Madison Avenue with her 6-month-old son strapped to her chest and her daughter Yolka, 10, and son Vova, 13, beside her. The kids were unfazed by the scene.

"We've been to many protests in Moscow," said Yolka, who carried a sign reading, "Solidarity with Pussy Riot."

"I brought my clarinet. I was hoping there'd be a lot of people playing music and I could jump in. I'm the choirmaster at my school," said Vova.

We asked Ms. Gessen if she gave pause before bringing her children to the event. "I am not scared at all after seeing protests in Moscow. The last one I took the kids to got very violent, but today should be nothing. I wish more people were here. I don't think this reflects the weight of this protest," Ms. Gessen said.

Update, 12:40 pm:

Ellina Graypel, a protester who played a guitar and sang songs in Russian in front of the consulate, told us she had seen a total of six people arrested. "But even one is too many," she added.

Update, 12:56 pm: 

The protest march has reached Times Square. Protesters chant, "No one should be quiet, free Pussy Riot." There are few cops on foot on the scene, but NYPD vans and cars line the block.

Pussy Riot protest in Times Square. (Photo by Jessi Rucker)

Update, 2:50 pm:

After one final song on the red TKTS steps in Times Square The Observer caught up with Xenia Grubstein, 31, an organizer of the march. Despite the somewhat underwhelming turnout (she blamed the heat), she was proud of the day's actions. “Most of the crowd made it here, so we did fulfill our plan,” she said.

Ms. Grubstein expressed her distaste for the court's decision this morning. “We expected it to be negative," she said. "Two years is not as bad as three years, but these are mothers that are taken away from their children.”

She told us she's still optimistic that in the coming weeks more will jump on board with the fight that today earned her two blisters and slight dehydration.

“I think it's going to go even more global as celebrities and regular citizens become aware of Pussy Riot," she said. "We're not done yet.”

Update, 5:30 pm:

Members of Pussy Riot Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich during a court hearing in Moscow today. (Photo by Andrey Smirnov/AFP/GettyImages)

According to the New York Times and other sources, three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of hooliganism. Sentencing is expected later today. Each woman was sentenced to two years in prison by a Moscow judge.

Here in New York, after last night's solidarity reading at the Ace Hotel, featuring Chloë Sevigny and others, a "morning musical masquerade protest party" is planned.

Protestors will gather at 9 am at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church on East 97th Street, march down Madison Avenue to the Russian Consolate at East 91st Street, and continue down Madison Avenue to Times Square. A 1 pm rally is scheduled at 46th Street and Broadway.

The organizers of the protest have instructed attendees to "Bring signs, wear bright colors (see Pussy Riot for inspiration) and bring a noisemaker and/or stringed instrument. Don’t forget to bring your balaclava masque." (Balaclavas are a signature fashion item for the band.)

Daphne Carr, an organizer of the today’s events, told us last night that today's protests constitute civil disobedience, as New York has an obscure “anti-mask law” that forbids groups of three or more people from wearing face coverings without a permit.

The three women of Pussy Riot (Maria Alyekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnokova and Yekaterina Samutsevich) were arrested in February following a guerrilla anti-Putin musical protest in Moscow's Christ Savior Cathedral. An outpouring of support from across the globe followed.

The members of the politically motivated group have been in a pre-trial detention center since March after a guerrilla performance inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in which they were only able to execute a 40 second rendition of their song "Our Lady, Chase Putin Out" before getting escorted out by security guards. The women could be facing a three-year prison sentence for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." Pussy Riot adamantly denies any malice to Catholicism; they maintain they were only making an artistic political statement. Over the past month, support for Pussy Riot has poured in from the likes of Madonna, Paul McCartney and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Peaches has released a tribute song, all proceeds will go to the band's legal fees.

Karen Finley, performance artist and one of the most animated readers of the night gave The Observer her stance on the trial: "There's a history of the church being a place for prayer but also for speaking one's mind. Yes, we're using these larger-than-life statements, but that's part of the art and the expression."

Ms. Finley—no stranger to controversy, as she has often been criticized and indicted for her own art—explained why she felt such a connection to the girls in a Moscow prison cell: "Pussy Riot was influenced so much by Bikini Kill, and Kathleen Hanna [lead singer and front woman for Bikini Kill], tells me I influenced her, so I feel responsible in a certain way."

Ace Hotel's Liberty Hall was donated out to head organizers Robert Lieber and J.D. Samson (a member of Riot Grrrl band Le Tigre) for the evening. Ms. Samson told The Observer that she had started organizing a giant show in Moscow in support of Pussy Riot, but after the trial started moving faster than predicted, she decided to do something here in New York to show her support.  "We were planning to do a show, and then Rob and I were discussing these wonderful statements the women had made in trial, and he said, 'What about these words? Shouldn't they be read somewhere?' And that was that."

"I sent out all these emails—only last Saturday—and all these friends of mine came out to support," Ms. Samson added.

Amongst Ms. Samson's friends was the actress and ultimate hipster Ms. Sevigny, who read a letter that Maria Alyekhina sent from prison.

"I got threatened to get transferred to a disciplinary cell for not making up my bed properly today. Here in pre-trial center, nobody knows what a duvet case is, just like in Europe, but everybody knows you're a criminal and here for a good reason," Ms. Sevigny read, looking ironically innocent in a white dress and a blonde bob.

"I had no idea that they were such intellectuals," Johanna Fateman, member of Le Tigre told The Observer after her reading of the closing statement of Ms. Samutsevich. "They could come off almost like a prank—which is part of it—but they truly are so much more."

Although Ms. Fateman said she wanted to be an optimist, she assumed that the girls would most likely be found guilty. "It's more just a question of how long the sentence will be," she added.

Other readers last night were Justin Vivian Bond, Masha Gessen and poet Eileen Myles, who told The Observer that the poems that she read by Ms. Alyekhina, "really spoke to me."

No matter how the verdict shapes up (it is expected to be delivered this morning), a protest, march and rally are all scheduled in New York. Although there were talks on Pussy Riot's Facebook page of suiting up in the band's trademark neon balaclavas for the protest, Daphne Carr, an organizer of the day's events, warned participants last night that this would be civil disobedience. New York has an obscure "anti-mask law" that prevents three or more people wearing face coverings without a permit, an offense that several Occupy Wall Street protesters were charged with and that could land Pussy Riot supporters in jail. Ms. Carr offered up some alternatives.

"Paint your face to look like a balaclava. Write 'this is my balaclava' on your face. Or take one of these," she said while holding up a sheet of paper with a black and white image of a balaclava.

Catch the crowd wearing those modified balaclavas on Madison Avenue around noon today.

Kelsey Grammer, heart of darkness (Getty Images)

In Pitchfork's serious-minded look at the Russian band Pussy Riot (whose supporters in their legal battle against the amassed forces of Vladimir Putin will be protesting tonight), riot grrrl icon Kathleen Hanna admits to an idiosyncratic view of 1990s TV. When describing the process by which Russian authorities took legal recourse against Pussy Riot's lyrics, Ms. Hanna noted: "I mean, I feel totally damaged by the TV show Frasier, but I can't call up the police and get Kelsey Grammer arrested."

Look, "tossed salad and scrambled eggs" has never exactly been our favorite lyric, and Niles's relationship with Daphne is extremely unprofessional, but Caroline in the City was a way more upsetting NBC standard. Then again, Kelsey Grammer's recent declaration that his Republicanism denied him a shot for a sixth Emmy for his new show, Boss, was incredibly irritating, if not damaging.

"Pussy Riot" Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L), Maria Alyokhina (R) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (C) (Getty Images)

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich could be looking at anywhere from 3-7 years of jail time, even though President Putin himself said that he did not agree with the severity of the sentence.

The whole tale is long and sordid, and as much about Russia's own hooliganism over its citizens as it is about censorship, but hey look over here Madonna's shown up!

Madonna, who is putting on a show in Moscow as well as open a Hard Candy fitness club, said about the incident:

"I am against censorship and my whole career I always promoted freedom of expression, freedom of speech, so obviously I think what's happening to them is unfair and I hope that they do not.... I hope they do not have to serve seven years in jail. That would be a tragedy."

Thanks Madonna! Now, if only you could get someone to try and prosecute you for being as inherently provocative as these women were...maybe you could show your butt or a nipple on-stage during another show? Maybe slip a swastika on Putin's head during your concert? Hey, we're just going with your tried and true repertoire, here.