http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/17/world/europe/russia-pussy-riot-trial/index.html


Moscow (CNN) -- Three members of Russian female punk
rock band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison Friday after
they were found guilty of hooliganism for performing a song critical of
President Vladimir Putin in a church.
The five months they have spent in detention since their arrests in March count toward the sentence, Judge Marina Sirovaya said.


The judge said the
charges against the three young women -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria
Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich -- had been proved by witnesses and
the facts.
The Pussy Riot members
were charged after screaming, "Mother Mary, please drive Putin away," in
a protest act in February inside Christ Savior Cathedral, one of
Moscow's grandest houses of worship.Sirovaya rejected the
women's defense that they were acting from political motives, ruling
that they had intended to insult the Russian Orthodox Church and
undermine public order.
However, the fact that two of them have young children was a mitigating factor in the sentencing, the judge said.


The defendants were accused of offending the churchgoers present, through their actions, obscene language and
their clothing, and showing a lack of respect for the rules of the
Orthodox Church. They ignored requests to stop their brief unscheduled
protest performance, the court heard.
While their actions
outraged many of Russia's faithful, their high-profile trial prompted
international concern about freedom of speech in Russia.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on its official Twitter feed that the sentence was "disproportionate."


European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the court's decision on the same grounds.


"Together with the
reports of the band members' mistreatment during their pre-trial
detention and the reported irregularities of the trial, it puts a
serious question mark over Russia's respect for international
obligations of fair, transparent, and independent legal process," she
said.
"It also runs counter to Russia's international obligations as regards respect for freedom of expression."


Rights group Amnesty International said the court's decision was "a bitter blow for freedom of expression in the country."


Amnesty believes the
women's conduct "was politically motivated, and that they were
wrongfully prosecuted for what was a legitimate -- if potentially
offensive -- protest action," it said in a statement. "The organization
considers all three activists to be prisoners of conscience, detained
solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs."
John Dalhuisen, director
of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Program, urged
Russian authorities to overturn the sentence and release the trio
unconditionally.
He also highlighted
recent measures "restricting the freedom of expression and association"
introduced after a wave of popular protests that accompanied elections
earlier this year.
"This trial is another
example of the Kremlin's attempts to discourage and delegitimize
dissent. It is likely to backfire," he said.
Earlier, a number of
arrests were made outside the court, where protesters gathered as the
verdict was read, RIA Novosti reported.
The women are expected to appeal the court's decision.


The charge of hooliganism aimed at inciting religious hatred carried a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison.


None of the three women is older than 30. They have been in custody since their arrest shortly after the unexpected performance.


They looked calm and
occasionally smiled and exchanged remarks as they stood, sometimes in
handcuffs, behind a glass wall in the court, listening to the lengthy
ruling.
Moscow district court
heard that the three worked together to carry out their "criminal act
which violated public order" -- in an action that "went against
tradition and is a great insult to the church and people."
The three wore
revealing, brightly colored clothing and covered their faces with
balaclava-style masks in a style "inappropriate" for a church before
making use of a microphone and electric guitar, the court was told.
Video footage of the "punk prayer" protest song was placed online, although the judge said it was not clear who had posted it.


Sirovaya said that the
apologies by the defendants "were not sincere" and described their
conduct as "an unprecedented act of hooliganism by women."
Celebrities back Pussy Riot


Evidence from character
witnesses for the three women was also read out. Alyokhina was described
as being a writer of poetry, a vegan and a good mother, RIA Novosti
said.
Pop star Madonna last
week performed Pussy Riot-style in a face mask and with the group's name
on her back during a packed Moscow gig.
"Everyone has the right
to free speech, everywhere in the world. Maria, Katya, Nadia, I pray for
you," Madonna said at Tuesday's concert, according to RIA Novosti.
"They did something brave with their action. And I am praying for their
freedom."
Rallies have been
organized Friday in their support outside Russian embassies around the
world, including in London and Washington.
Pussy Riot and Putin's iron fist


Putin criticized the
women's action this month but said they should not be judged "too
harshly," RIA Novosti said. He added that he hoped the court makes "the
right decision."
Pussy Riot specializes in sudden, often illegal public performances, including one in Moscow's Red Square.


The "punk prayer" was
inspired by the women's anger about the relationship between the Russian
government and the Orthodox Church, according to the band's manager,
who is married to one of the women.
The Orthodox leader Patriarch Kyril has been widely reported as saying Putin's years in power have been a miracle from God.


Putin won reelection to
the presidency in March in a vote that international observers said did
not meet international standards.
The presidential
election came just months after allegations of fraud in parliamentary
elections prompted the largest anti-government demonstrations Russia had
seen in two decades.
Pussy Riot pushes free speech limits in Russia