Three members of Punk feminist protest band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” in a Moscow court after their performance in February inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 were sentenced to two years in prison – the minimum sentence for such an offence open to the courts. In sentencing, the judge argued that bands’ feminist beliefs were part of encouraging religious hatred.
New York based Human Rights Watch have delivered a stinging statement on the verdict. Their Europe and Central Asian director Hugh Williamson has said:
“The charges and verdict against the Pussy Riot band members distort both the facts and the law…These women should never have been charged with a hate crime and should be released immediately.”
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