Good news, people who like freedom!

The prime minister of Russia has surprised the world by speaking up in favor of Pussy Riot, the feminist Russian art group whose members were sentenced to two years in prison after a farcical trial last month.

But don't mistake Prime Minister Dmitry Medevev for a Pussy Riot fan. He just doesn't think keeping the ladies in jail is "productive." From the Wall Street Journal:

“The term is very strong. I would even say a terrible burden,” he said in televised comments. “I don’t want to replace the judge … but the time they have already served is, in essence, more than enough to make them think about what happened, whether it was from their own stupidity or for other reasons.”

“Prolonging their time in prison in connection to this case seems unproductive,” he said, noting that a suspended sentence that included the more than six months they’ve already served would have been adequate.

Still, Mr. Medvedev said he was “sickened” by what the women had done and the “hysteria” that has surrounded their case.