DHAKA: Two members of Russian protest punk rock act Pussy Riot will appear at a concert promoting human rights in New York City, its organiser has said.

Amnesty International says Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will appear at a 5 February concert in New York’s Brooklyn borough, reports the BBC.

The two spent 16 months in prison after their arrest in August 2012 for singing a protest song in a Moscow cathedral.

They were freed last month in what they derided as a publicity stunt.

‘A month ago, we were freed from Russian prison camps,’ Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina said in a joint statement.

‘We will never forget what it’s like to be in prison after a political conviction. We have vowed to continue helping those who remain behind bars.’

It is not clear whether they will perform at the concert at the Barclay’s Center, which will feature The Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, Lauryn Hill and Tegan and Sara, among others, according to promotional material released by Amnesty International.

Last month, Tolokonnikova called for foreign countries to boycott February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, hours after she was freed from jail.

BDST: 1610 HRS, JAN 22, 2014