Aug 17, 2012

Three members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot — Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Marina Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich — were found guilty of hooliganism on Friday after a judge decided that the band’s actions were motivated by religious hatred when they staged an anti-Kremlin protest at the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral. The judge sentenced the women to two years in jail.

“Tolokonnikova, Samutsevich and Alyokhina committed an act of hooliganism, a gross violation of public order showing obvious disrespect for society,” said the judge, reported Reuters.

The verdict has sparked protests in cities including Moscow, Oslo, Berlin, London and New York City, where supporters have dawned bright ski masks to show their solidarity with the band.

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: Members of the female punk band “Pussy Riot” (R-L) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich sit in a glass-walled cage during a court hearing in Moscow, August 17, 2012. A Russian judge on Friday found three women from the punk band Pussy Riot guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for staging an anti-Kremlin protest on the altar of Moscow’s main cathedral. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: Members of the all-girl punk band “Pussy Riot” Yekaterina Samutsevich (L), Maria Alyokhina (C) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (R) sit in a glass-walled cage during a court hearing in Moscow on Agust 17, 2012. (Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: Russian riot policemen detain a supporter of all-girl punk band “Pussy Riot” near a court building in Moscow on Agust 17, 2012. (Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: A supporter of the female punk band “Pussy Riot” stands outside a court building in Moscow, August 17, 2012. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: Police detain former world chess champion and opposition leader Garry Kasparov (C) during the trial of the female punk band “Pussy Riot” outside a court building in Moscow, August 17, 2012. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: A supporter of all-girl punk band “Pussy Riot” shouts inside of a police car as he was detained near a court building in Moscow on Agust 17, 2012. (Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: A supporter of feminist punk band “Pussy Riot” holds a poster during a rally in St. Petersburg on August 17, 2012. (Olga Maltsevaolga/AFP/Getty Images)

: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – AUGUST 17: A father and his daughter, supporters of feminist punk band “Pussy Riot”, wear the group’s trademark coloured balaclava in St. Petersburg on August 17, 2012. (Olga Maltsevaolga/AFP/Getty Images)

: NEW YORK CITY- AUGUST 17: New York Police Department officers arrest a woman demonstrating in solidarity with the Russian punk band Pussy Riot in front of the Russian Consulate in New York August 17, 2012. Three women from Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail on Friday for their protest against President Vladimir Putin in a church, an outcome supporters described as the Kremlin leader’s “personal revenge”. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

: NEW YORK CITY – AUGUST 17: A man rallies in Times Square in support of the group Pussy Riot wearing a bandana on his face August 17, 2012 in New York. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)

: NEW YORK CITY – AUGUST 17: Demonstrators run down 5th Avenue with signs during a demonstration to show solidarity with the Russian punk band Pussy Riot in New York August 17, 2012. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

: EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 17: Protestors gather outside the Russian Consulate General building during a demonstration of support for the female Russian female punk band Pussy Riot in Edinburgh, Scotland August 17, 2012. A Russian judge found three women from the punk band Pussy Riot guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred on Friday for staging an anti-Kremlin protest on the altar of Moscow’s main Russian Orthodox church. (David Moir/Reuters)

: WARSAW, POLAND – AUGUST 17: Activists wear masks and hold posters in support of members of the female punk band Pussy Riot during a protest rally in front of the Russian Embassy, in Warsaw August 17, 2012. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – AUGUST 17: An activist wears a mask whole holding a sign in support of members of the female punk band Pussy Riot and holds a banner during a protest rally at the Venceslas Square in Prague August 17, 2012. (David W. Cerny/Reuters)

: VIENNA, AUSTRIA – AUGUST 17: Supporters of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot attend a gathering in Vienna, August 17, 2012. (Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

: OSLO, NORWAY – AUGUST 17: Amnesty Norway demonstrates in support of Russian punk band Pussy Riot outside the Russian embassy on August 17, 2012 in Oslo. (Anette Karlsen/AFP/Getty Images)

: BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 17: Supporters of all-girl punk band “Pussy Riot” protest near the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on August 17, 2012. A Moscow court on Friday pronounced a guilty verdict in the case of three members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot who staged a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a landmark church. (Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images)

: HAMBURG, GERMANY – AUGUST 17: Supporters of Russian band “Pussy Riot” participate in a demonstration of solidarity on August 17, 2012 in Hamburg, northern Germany. (Marcus Brandt/AFP/Getty Images)

: BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 17: A supporter of Russian band Pussy Riot wears a mask of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a demonstration on August 17, 2012 near the Russian embassy in Berlin to support the band. (Barbara Sax/AFP/Getty Images)

: BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 17: Supporters of the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot protest outside the Russian embassy on August 17, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. A Moscow court is scheduled to announce a verdict in the trial of the three musicians later today in a case that has attracted global attention over the issues of freedom of speech and artistic expression in modern Russia. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – AUGUST 17: Amnesty International activists protest close to the Russian Embassy in Brussels on August 17, 2012, for the release of three Pussy Riot band members, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church. (Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images)

: LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: A demonstration by supporters of the jailed feminist punk band ‘Pussy Riot’ takes place outside the Russian Embassy on August 17, 2012 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

: LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: A person wears an orange mask as a demonstration by supporters of the jailed feminist punk band ‘Pussy Riot’ takes place outside the Russian Embassy on August 17, 2012 in London, England. The three women who staged an anti-Kremlin protest in a church in February, were found guilty today of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, and could face a three-year jail sentence. Supporters are gathering in several cities around the world today as a mark of solidarity. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

: LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Women hold up a sign as a demonstration by supporters of the jailed feminist punk band ‘Pussy Riot’ takes place outside the Russian Embassy on August 17, 2012 in London, England. The three women who staged an anti-Kremlin protest in a church in February, were found guilty today of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, and could face a three-year jail sentence. Supporters are gathering in several cities around the world today as a mark of solidarity. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

: UKRAINE – AUGUST 17: Activists of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen use a chainsaw to cut down an Orthodox cross, erected to the memory of victims of the political repression in Kiev on August 17, 2012, in support of Russian punk group Pussy Riot. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 15: Supporters of punk group Pussy Riot, wearing the group’s trademark coloured balaclavas, hold individual letters that spell the phrase “Blessed are the merciful” outside the Church of Christ the Saviour in central Moscow on August 15, 2012 protesting the incarceration of three band members. (Novaya Gazeta/Yevgeny Feldman/AFP/Getty Images)

: EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 14: Protesters wearing masks take part in an Amnesty International flash mob demonstration in support of Russian punk band Pussy Riot in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland August 14, 2012. (David Moir/Reuters)

: LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Rioters outside the Russian Embassy in London on August 12, 2012 protest for the release of three band members, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church. (Max Nash/AFP/Getty Images)

: WASHINGTON DC – AUGUST 10: Members of the band “Brenda” perform in a dirt lot across the street from the Russian Embassy in Washington on August 10, 2012, in a solidarity concert for the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

: WASHINGTON DC – AUGUST 10: Supporters stand near the street holding a sign as members of the band “Brenda” perform in a dirt lot across the street from the Russian Embassy in Washington on August 10, 2012 to support Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: Member of female punk band “Pussy Riot” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova gestures before a court hearing in Moscow on August 8, 2012. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: A supporter of the female punk band “Pussy Riot” is detained by police outside a court in Moscow August 8, 2012. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: A member of the Russian female punk band “Pussy Riot,” Maria Alyokhina, sits on August 8, 2012 inside a glass enclosure during a court hearing in Moscow. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: A member of the Russian female punk band “Pussy Riot,” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, sits on August 8, 2012 inside a glass enclosure during a court hearing in Moscow. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: A member of the Russian female punk band “Pussy Riot,” Yekaterina Samutsevich, sits on August 8, 2012 inside a glass enclosure during a court hearing in Moscow. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 8: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L), Yekaterina Samutsevich (R) and Maria Alyokhina, members of female punk band “Pussy Riot”, sit in the defendant’s cell before a court hearing in Moscow August 8, 2012. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 3: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L), Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina (R), members of female punk band “Pussy Riot”, attend their trial inside the defendents’ cell in a court in Moscow August 3, 2012. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – AUGUST 3: Yekaterina Samutsevich (2nd R) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L), members of female punk band “Pussy Riot”, are escorted by police to a court in Moscow August 3, 2012. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 30: A supporter of female punk band “Pussy Riot” waits outside the court where three members of the band are on trial in Moscow July 30, 2012. Three women who protested against Vladimir Putin in a “punk prayer” on the altar of Russia’s main cathedral went on trial on Monday in a case seen as a test of the long-time leader’s treatment of dissent during a new presidential term. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – July 23: A supporter of jailed members of female punk band “Pussy Riot” looks on with his mouth sewed up as he protests outside the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, July 23, 2012. (Reuters handout)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 20: A woman holds a poster in support of the all-girl punk band reading “The Accusation against Pussy Riots Insult My Religious Feelings!” during a court hearing in Moscow on July 20, 2012. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 20: Members of the all-girl punk band “Pussy Riot” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (C), Maria Alyokhina (R) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (L), sit behind bars during a court hearing in Moscow on July 20, 2012. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 20: Members of female punk band “Pussy Riot”, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (2nd L), Maria Alyokhina (L) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (R), are escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, July 20, 2012. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 4: Supporters of female Russian punk band Pussy Riot rally outside a Moscow court, on July 4, 2012, during the hearings on the Pussy Riot case. (Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

: MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 4: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of female Russian punk band Pussy Riot, sits inside a defendants cage in a Moscow court, on July 4, 2012, during the hearings on the Pussy Riot case. Three members of the all-woman punk band “Pussy Riot” were detained two months ago, after they climbed on the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral — the country’s central place of worship — and sang a song they called a “Punk Prayer”. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian punk protesters sentenced to two years jail
Timothy Heritage and Maria Tsvetkova
Reuters
11:30 a.m. EDT, August 17, 2012

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Three women from Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail on Friday for their protest against President Vladimir Putin in a church, an outcome supporters described as the Kremlin leader’s “personal revenge”.

The band’s supporters burst into chants of “Shame” outside the Moscow courthouse and said the case showed Putin’s refusal to tolerate dissent. The U.S. embassy in Moscow said the sentence appeared disproportionate to what the defendants did.

The women have support abroad, where their case has been taken up by a long list of celebrities including Madonna, Paul McCartney and Sting, but opinion polls show few Russians sympathize with them.

“The girls’ actions were sacrilegious, blasphemous and broke the church’s rules,” Judge Marina Syrova told the court as she spent three hours reading the verdict while the women stood watching in handcuffs inside a glass courtroom cage.

She declared all three guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, saying they had deliberately offended Russian Orthodox believers by storming the altar of Moscow’s main cathedral in February to belt out a song deriding Putin.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Marina Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, giggled as the judge read out the sentences one by one. They have already been in jail for about five months, meaning they will serve another 19.

They say they were protesting against Putin’s close ties with the church when they burst into Moscow’s golden-domed Christ the Saviour Cathedral wearing bright ski masks, tights and short skirts.

Pussy Riot band sentenced to two years, verdict sparks bright ski mask protests

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