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A growing number of Russian entertainers on Tuesday joined in a rare show of defiance and solidarity, in support of an actor who they say was wrongfully convicted of resisting arrest during an anti-Kremlin rally, despite clear evidence in his favor, and sent to prison, The New York Times reports:

The protest demonstrated the power of social media, where the actors and others published their video statements in support of the defendant, Pavel Ustinov, spreading the word widely even as state-run television largely ignored the case. Publicly calling out injustice in the legal system is unusual in Russia and carries real risks; most of the actors speaking out work in government-sponsored theaters and appear in state-supported films.

A video of his arrest (above) prompted outrage. Replicating the slogan used by supporters of Ivan Golunov, a prominent Russian investigative reporter arrested in June, many actors posted “I/We are Pavel Ustinov” on their social networks, The Times adds:

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