Thursday, August 16, 2012

Pussy Riot hooliganism verdict due in Russia

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The three women are charged with hooliganism after performing a protest song in Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral in February.

They say their "punk prayer" was a political act in protest against the Russian Orthodox church's support of President Vladimir Putin.

Prosecutors have asked for them to be given three years in prison.

Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, along with other members of their band, staged a flashmob-style performance of their song close to the altar in the cathedral on 21 February.

Their obscenity-laced song implored the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out".

Their act enraged the Orthodox Church, with its leader Patriarch Kirill, saying the act amounted to blasphemy.

Patriarch Kirill is closely identified with the Kremlin, having backed Mr Putin's re-election as president this year.

Russian public opinion is divided, with many people saying the women have been treated too harshly and that the case is part of attempts to clamp down on opposition after mass anti-Putin protests earlier this year.

The women have attracted high-profile support from other artists including Paul McCartney and Madonna, who called for their release while she was on tour in Russia earlier this month.

On Thursday, former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev told the BBC's Russian Service the case should never have gone to trial, calling it "a completely pointless undertaking".



Source & Image : BBC

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