Russian Punk Rockers Pussy Riot Sentenced To Two Years For Anti-Putin Concert

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Members of feminist punk band Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in jail over anti-Putin protest at Moscow cathedral.

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. There were protests outside the courts and world chess Grand Master, turned politician Gary Kasparov was arrested along with opposition politician, Sergei Udaltsov.

Amnesty and Human Rights watch have both condemned the verdict whilst the Russian Orthodox church has called on the government to show "mercy".
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."

After the sentencing, Pussy Riot released a new single, 'Putin Lights up the Fires' (click to watch it following):