Are You Getting Curiosa?

The Cure has partnered with Amnesty International Music for Human Rights to adopt an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, Dr. Yury Bandazhevsky. Through the Curiosa Festival, The Cure will join Amnesty International in their fight to get him freed by providing information as well as a petition to sign. A Curiousa Festival package is up for auction for each date of the tour, including guest passes, "meet-n-greet" passes and signed copies of the new Cure CD.

The Cure stepped in to adopt Dr. Bandazhevsky following the cancellation of Lollapalooza, which had originally planned to adopt this prisoner. "When Lollapalooza was cancelled, supporters The Cure stepped in to save the program." explained Josephine Ciallella, Director of National Events for Amnesty International.

Dr. Yury Bandazhevsky, a radiation health specialist, is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence in the Republic of Belarus for what Amnesty International believes are his findings of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe and his open criticism of the state's official research into the effects of the tragedy on the population.

This summer's "Adopt a Prisoner" program will hopefully follow in the footsteps of last year's successful campaign hosted by Axis of Justice/Lollapalooza to free Phuntsog Nyidron, a Tibetan nun jailed in 1989 for recording songs promoting Tibetan independence. In addition to adopting a prisoner, The Cure is also participating in an Amnesty fundraising auction being hosted by ebay. A Curiousa Festival package is up for auction June 9-19 and 19-29 for each date of the tour, including guest passes, "meet-n-greet" passes and signed copies of the new Cure CD. An auction to win a guitar signed by The Cure will close the auction the first week in August. The Curiosa Festival kicks off July 24 in Florida. Bids can be placed at here.