Pussy Riot members to attend PEN American Center’s literary gala in early May

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FILE - In a Tuesday Feb. 4, 2014 file photo, Nadezhda “Nadya” Tolokonnikova and Maria “Masha” Alyokhina, of the punk band Pussy Riot, hold a news conference at Amnesty International\'s New York headquarters. It was announced Monday, April 28, 2014, that Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova are expected at the PEN American Center Literary Gala scheduled for May 5 at the Museum of Natural History in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Two members of Pussy Riot will be attending a literary celebration that already includes Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie and Robert Caro on the guest list.

It was announced Monday that Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova are expected at the PEN American Center Literary Gala. The event is scheduled for May 5 at the Museum of Natural History, where Rushdie and Twitter CEO Dick Costolo will be receiving awards from PEN, the non-profit organization that has been a longtime advocate for free expression.

Members of Pussy Riot, the Russian punk band, have been arrested on several occasions for protesting against oppressive rule by the Russian government and criticizing President Vladimir Putin, including during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

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