Putin should just Putout already

Here's a quick way to get arrested in modern Russia: walk into a cathedral wearing a neon mask and carrying a guitar, stand on the pulpit, and scream punk songs with lyrics like "Virgin Mary drive Putin away!" Throw in a few more obscenities, and that's how three members of the punk band Pussy Riot ended up in Russian prison in early March, after criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin, who the group says is in bed with the Russian Orthodox Church and is unfairly cracking down on free speech. Three of its members are still in prison and have been charged with hooliganism, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of seven years behind bars. The band has drawn comparisons to other Western punk bands, including the Ramones. But unlike their British and American forerunners, Pussy Riot have something very real to be angry about, starting with their own imprisonment. Nobody likes to see bands being arrested just for singing, even if it is somebody rubbish like Justin Bieber. Putin is cracking down unfairly on Pussy Riot at a time when protesters continue to gather in Moscow. In other news, in a new effort to halt more than a year of bloodshed in Syria President Obama will push for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad under a proposal modeled on the transition in Yemen. The plan calls for a negotiated political settlement that would satisfy Syrian opposition groups but that could leave remnants of Mr. Assad’s government in place. Its goal is the kind of transition under way in Yemen, where after months of violent unrest, President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down and hand control to his vice president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, in a deal arranged by Yemen’s Arab neighbors. Mr. Hadi, though later elected in an uncontested vote, is viewed as a transitional leader. But the success of the plan hinges on Russia, one of Mr. Assad’s staunchest allies, which has strongly opposed his removal.