Pussy Riot vs Julian Assange – to each his own hero and villain

Two high profile freedom of speech cases are unfolding these days, the one of the Pussy Riot sentencing in Moscow and the granting by Ecuador of political asylum to Julian Assange.  I would argue that both cases are in many ways if not similar, then at least comparable to each other.  After all, in both cases we have college drop-outs breaking the laws of major power and in both cases