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Subscribe to RSSThree members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot remain in jail after a performance in protest of Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
Updated at 11:29 a.m. ET: MOSCOW -- A judge sentenced three women who staged an anti-Kremlin protest on the altar of Moscow's main Russian Orthodox church to two years in jail each on Friday in a trial seen as test of President Vladimir Putin's tolerance of dissent.
The trio from punk band Pussy Riot, handcuffed in a courtroom cage, reacted with giggles and one rolled her eyes when the judge issued the sentences after reading the guilty verdict for almost three hours.
A man in the courtroom shouted "Shame!" and hundreds of protesters outside the Moscow courthouse repeated that chant and whistled when news of the sentence came.
"They are in jail because it is Putin's personal revenge," opposition leader Alexei Navalny said in the courtroom. "This verdict was written by Vladimir Putin."
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for performing a "punk prayer" in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. They called on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin.
Their feminist punk collective has about 10 members who appear in public in ski masks for anonymous impromptu performances they describe as a form of protest art.
The defendants said they were protesting against close ties between Putin and the Russian Orthodox church and did not intend to offend believers, but the judge rejected those arguments.
The U.S. Embassy in Russia criticized the sentences.
"Today's sentence in the Pussy Riot case looks disproportionate to the actions," the U.S. Embassy in Russia wrote in Russian on Friday on its Twitter microblog.
Pussy Riot supporters protest at Russian cathedral as global campaign heats up
Prosecutors had requested three-year sentences. The two-year sentences include the nearly six months served since the defendants were jailed following the Feb. 21 protest.
Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP - Getty Images
Members of the punk band Pussy Riot -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, center, Maria Alyokhina, right, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, left -- are escorted Friday by policewomen inside a Moscow court building.
In a sign of the tension over the trial in a small Moscow courtroom, Judge Marina Syrova was assigned bodyguards on Thursday following what authorities said were threats.
Divisions
The trial divided Russia's Orthodox Christians, with many backing the authorities' demands for severe punishment, but others saying the women should be granted clemency.
The trial featured a parade of state witnesses who say they were traumatized by the church performance, which prosecutors called an abuse of God.
Russia's Pussy Riot: Unmasked and on trial
Ahead of the verdict, their lawyers said the outcome will be dictated by the Kremlin. Putin's supporters denied that and portrayed the women as blasphemers and self-publicists who should be punished for committing a premeditated outrage against the Church.
Members of Pussy Riot were found guilty Friday after staging this protest on Feb. 21, 2012, inside Christ The Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
"It was a conscious deed. They understood quite clearly where they were going and why," said Vladimir Burmatov, who represents Putin's United Russia party in parliament.
Pussy Riot was formed last year in anger at Putin's decision to return to the presidency in an election after four years as premier. The band's public performances were popular on the Internet, but it is the trial that has brought them global fame.
The charges against them raised concern abroad about freedom of speech in Russia two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Pop star Madonna has joined the chorus of criticism over the trial of a Russian women's punk band accused of religious hatred. The three women face years in jail after mounting a protest against Vladimir Putin on the altar of the country's main cathedral. It's part of a widening government crackdown on dissent. ITV's Paul Davies reports.
Small, but raucous protests were held Friday in a few dozen cities in support of the three women. A few dozen people came out in Barcelona, Spain, a couple hundred in Paris, and a handful in Washington. Other rallies were held in Bulgaria, Ukraine and elsewhere.
More Russia coverage from NBCNews.com
The opposition says Putin saw the trial initially as a chance to strengthen his relationship with the influential Russian Orthodox Church -- about 70 percent of Russians say they follow the faith -- but his plans backfired.
Although believers were united in outrage that the band thrashed out a "punk prayer" deriding Putin in a place they consider sacrosanct, many were upset by the Church hierarchy's lack of forgiveness and calls for "divine retribution."
From March 2012: Anti-Putin activists pay high price, but refuse to back down
Many Russians, including some of the Orthodox faithful, are concerned about ties between church and state under Patriarch Kirill, who has praised Putin's rule as a "miracle of God."
Aware that a long sentence could reinforce the picture Pussy Riot has painted of him as intolerant and repressive, Putin told reporters this month that although the women had done "nothing good," they should not be judged too harshly.
But the damage to Putin's image abroad has already been done, and divisions between his supporters and opponents have widened, risking polarizing society even more than when protests took off against his 12-year-rule during the winter.
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In moves seen by the opposition as a crackdown, parliament has recently rushed through laws increasing fines for protesters, tightening controls on the Internet -- which is used to arrange protests -- and imposing stricter rules on defamation.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Mixman 34 you can tell you failed American government. You think a Republican is a communist LOL You idiot they are socialist left just like the Nazi party was socialist left. Just like the the American Liberal left. Thats why they want your guns so when their real BS comes out the people wont be able to defend themselves. 3%ER Oathtaker Look it up retard. Those girls are lucky they didnt get some real Russian Justice. They should have whiped their @$$e$ good and see if they would be smiling in the camera then.
Red, you think the Nazi were socialist left? You're the one who should learn something. The Nazi were facisist. That's as far right as you can get. And the Russians were not leftists. Their revolution started out as a socialist/communists government but quickly deteriorated into a totaleriatian dictatorship.
Neither was a socialist government dispite what their name implies.
@dsb
valid take, thanks
Funny how a mob character can be named "Big Pussy" and a band can be called "Pussy Riot", and even Vince Schticky can use the word "pussy" in his adverts, but I can't call someone a pussy in public or on a public forum. Just what is the definition of a "pussy" these days?
@Mark
pussy in Russian is synonym for girl/lass in US english but doubtful Russian populace is aware of the translation to US
Thanks BB! I didn't know that.
I was always under the impression that a pussy in America was a slang term for vagina,though.
Russia must have a shortage of teenage women in the gulag. This should go to show all the demonstrators that, no matter what YOU feel about freedom of speech, it does not exist everywhere, and some people will find out the hard way.
Why would you do something so stupid as to protest in the first place? Most end in arrests, peaceful, or not. The point is clear, they are being made an example of, don't be a dumb-ass and think you can get away with everything you want. I have seen enough to know not to protest and initiate riots. label yourself wrong, do wild things, and your going to end up in bad situations. sorry everyone, I guess they're gonna have to suck it up, as there is really little we can do about it. Life goes on.
Perhaps because they don't like the way Putin is running things. Russians thought they were going to be a real democracy. They got a taste of it and now Putin is pulling the rug out from under them.
Had out founding fathers felt the way you seem we would still be a colony. Had many not protested in the 60s the civil rights movement would not have occurred. Thank goodness not everyone is as cowardly as you.
Still hearing the echos of the old guard in Russia... could take another generation or two to really cleanse politics in Russia - if ever. Just like politics in this country, once people get a taste of that power they are reluctant to let it go. Thus why I still say we need term limits in DC...
Term limits answer most of the flaws in the American political system. That is why you will only see term limits in America when the people shove them down the career politician's throats.
Thank God Paul Ryan isn't a career politician....
Paul Ryan not a career politician; now that's funny, I don't care who you are, that's funny.
I agree Tom. To truly fix our political woes in DC we need to do 3 things: Term limits, eliminate lobbyist, and eliminate the ability to attach pork spending to bills. If an amendment to a bill isn't directly related to the bill it shouldn't be there. This 'buying votes' nonsense with pork spending just to get a bill passed is beyond contemptible. It is an insult to the American people, and the founders of our Country. Take the money out of being in politics and maybe some sanity will return to DC...
We do have term limits, it is called ELECTIONS!!!
If We The People do not through the BUMS out , then it is our fault!!
They know how to buy your vote "free Gov. entitlement handouts"!!!
Sober up America!!
border joe - the only problem with that is any congressman that brings tons of pork to his/her district isn't going to be voted out. The people of his/her district isn't going cut off the gravy train. They need to have their butts forced out every 6-8 years.
It's ironic that Paul Ryan and Communist Russia are being discussed in the same thread.
What a bunch of young, stupid media-whore twats.
"Look at us! We're going against the system, man!"
You can tell by the looks on their faces that they don't give a rat's ass about Russia's politcal or religious issues at all, they just wanted to be in the spotlight.
That's why they "stormed the altar of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral *wearing bright ski masks, tights and short skirts*.
Give me a break. Self-serving publicity stunt, all the way.
Telllya What-
Pretty much...
I love the word "hooliganism".
Putin needs to get scootin'. :=D
God bless you, Pussy Riot! Maybe you will have an affect on your country. Maybe you will have real elections soon. I'll pray for ya.
Also pray that the USA has an informed, non-rigged election that restores our
CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTIES!!!!
Don't worry music fans! I'm still going on tour with MY band -- ANAL EXPLOSION !!!
For all the dolts who "think" Putin is a "republican"; Russia is a "SOCIALIST" country and Putin is...wait for it... a SOCIALIST.
In case you're wondering, SOCIALISM is as LIBERAL as it gets.
As for the Pussy Riot girls'...they're guilty of trampling on the freedom of those who were in attendance of the church service. They deserve to lose their a portion of their freedom for being such disruptive hypocritical-dip@!$%#s.
I couldn't agree more with you. You're right.
I couldn't disagree with you more. You're wrong.
Putin is NOT a socialist. He is fast becoming a dictator.
Sheesh people, at least learn the difference between the types of government. There is no excuse. You're on the web. Look it up!
If you truly beleive that, you're either sorely uneducated or intellectually destitute...or both. I vote it's the latter.
If you hate the church and God that's fine. It doesnt give you the right to pull that crap in a church. The Russian police should have beat their little @$$e$ good and teach them a lesson in respect for others and things that aren't their property.
Yeah, beat their little a$$es in the name of God!! Right on!!
Yes, Putin is an autocrat but, any one remembers Act Up's desecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York back in the '80s? I want to sympathize with these young women, but the venue they chose was atrocious.
Belittling someone who disagrees with your assertions using ridicule (tin foil hat, etc.) is against the so-called rules here. If you mock someone with the hope that this rude treatment of your opponent will silence him, most who read here with no agenda will suspect that your views must be lacking..truth for example, and can tolerate neither criticism nor the light of day. They might also consider you to be a bully.
Most of them are just trolls looking to annoy people and get a reaction. They hope you get mad. Best thing you can do is laugh at them. Literally. No names or anything, just laugh. It annoys them instead. Troll the trolls, its what I call justice. lol
It is amazing what women will do to show their pussies.
President Vladimir Putin is a mean old man who is afraid of vaginas, really . . .
Really! :-o
Putin will find that this will only elevate them to martyr status, and further their cause. He just made them 10 times more relevant. They will get even more supporters and attention now. And far more people will want to hear their message. If for no other reason then to hear what all the fuss is about.
This kind of censorship never works out for the censor. Putin just pissed off a large amount of youth in Russia (Not that they probably werent already). In the end, this will eventually cause social change there. Over the long haul. It might take a while. It might even be their kids who actually change things. But it starts with stuff like this. Just like Tiananmen square, or the jailing of any of their critics, is still a rallying cry for Chinese dissidents today. Tiananmen is what helped bring about the changes we see today in China. I doubt the leader in China wanted that at the time. Putin will learn the same thing.
You cant kill or squash an idea. You have to discredit it. Putin and his ilk will come to regret going this route with these protesters. And by squashing them, he has only legitimized their complaints.
Pussy Riot rules! And to Hell with all religion--and capitalism, communism, and authoritarianism--and "government," too!
Shame they didn't arrest Madonna too.....
You go girls!! True Americans stand behind you!!!
Yes...Wayyyyy, wayyy, wayyyyyyy behind....not too close!!
Duh, isn't hooliganism as British as homosexualism and rotten teeth? Where is the worthiness of the news? I rest my case.
If your in an Equadorian Embassy in not so Great Britian or in a Russian Prision your still confined. Its all about perspective. Taking advantage through bullying is what we are teaching. Now why question school shootings? They're just doing what they are taught.
Hey Jerry...most would prefer a Russian prison to, say...Gitmo!
Just an observation...but I could be wrong!
Vladimir "Joe" Biden should be arrested for hooliganism for his hate speech. Biden attempted hate speech against Republicans stirring up racial divide in this country, is un-patriotic.
Oh give me a break. You and I and everyone else knew exactly what he meant.
So happy to see you are keeping it going! Hypocracy!
Yea dsb we do know what he meant..Biden meant if Republicans win the election, they will be putting the blacks back into shackles... Give me a break the race cards been dealt so much over the years by Democrats that it has no meaning anymore....
Those opposing the verdict handed down by the Russian judicial system (yes - they were tried in court, NOT under a sealed indictment!) should ask themselves:
a) What if Occupy protesters stormed Westminister Abbey during the Queen's Christmas mass, and took center stage with anti-monarchy acts
b) What if anti-war activist would get into, say St. Patrick's Cathedral, while the President were attending Mass, and essentially performed exactly the same anti-Putin song and dance routine (except appropriately substituting the word "Putin")
c) What is they then moved to the Weeping Wall and did the same thing?
I suppose the US, Britian, Israel and all the other peace loving nations would say - They're just kids. Let them off with a warning and a fine?
Just an observation!
In some countries it's crime to speak against policies, even to protest in churches. We are lead to believe the communist doctrine in Russia has failed or caused economic repression, yet they have managed to survive making gains in politics and economics. Our opinion of other countries rules and laws isn't of value. What is is the concern of civil order and though we may disagree it IS their country not ours. I can understand and appreciate the value of free speech, worship, and liberty because I live in country that is based on these principles. But I also respect other governments rule of its people even if it does mean repression. Who am I to judge rulers? Even Christ said " render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's". That includes dominion of the people.
What is it with the fat Russian chick cops escorting the band members? I thought they had to adhere to physical standards....jeez.