Russian rockers reject charges
Source: Agencies |
July 31, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THREE Russian feminist rockers rejected charges of hooliganism for performing a "punk prayer" in Moscow's main cathedral against Vladimir Putin's return as president as a trial against them opened in earnest yesterday. If found guilty, they face up to seven years in prison.
The three members of the Pussy Riot band - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 - have been in custody for five months since their February stunt. Their prosecution has caused a sharp public divide and drawn protests from rights groups who have declared them prisoners of conscience.
The trial began on July 20 but the first sessions were devoted to procedural issues. Yesterday, with the court turning to the substance of the case, the defendants said in statements read by their lawyer that their goal was to express their resentment over Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill's support for Putin's rule.
They pleaded not guilty to the official charges of hooliganism driven by "religious hatred." Tolokonnikova said she felt sorry if some of the believers felt insulted by their act, but that they didn't mean to offend anyone.
It wasn't clear how long the trial might last, but a court has recently ruled that the women should be kept in custody for another half-year. Two other participants in the performance haven't been identified and remain at large.
Patriarch Kirill has condemned the rockers' act as "blasphemous."
The three members of the Pussy Riot band - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 - have been in custody for five months since their February stunt. Their prosecution has caused a sharp public divide and drawn protests from rights groups who have declared them prisoners of conscience.
The trial began on July 20 but the first sessions were devoted to procedural issues. Yesterday, with the court turning to the substance of the case, the defendants said in statements read by their lawyer that their goal was to express their resentment over Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill's support for Putin's rule.
They pleaded not guilty to the official charges of hooliganism driven by "religious hatred." Tolokonnikova said she felt sorry if some of the believers felt insulted by their act, but that they didn't mean to offend anyone.
It wasn't clear how long the trial might last, but a court has recently ruled that the women should be kept in custody for another half-year. Two other participants in the performance haven't been identified and remain at large.
Patriarch Kirill has condemned the rockers' act as "blasphemous."
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