Pussy Riot Prayer, And Price of Protest in Putin's Russia

 

The Moscow Times:

Pussy Riot Greets 2-Year Sentence With a Smile

20 August 2012

By Natalia Krainova and Ezekiel Pfeifer

Vladimir Filonov / MT

Maria Alyokhina showing the court’s verdict as she sits in the defendants’ cage with Yekaterina Samutsevich, center, and Nadezhda Tolokonnokova.

Sad smiles broke out on the faces of the three Pussy Riot musicians as the judge announced that each would be jailed for two years for singing a punk song at a Moscow cathedral.

In a trial widely believed to have been directed by the Kremlin, the trio — Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22; Maria Alyokhina, 24; and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 — were found guilty on Friday of taking part in an unsanctioned performance denouncing President Vladimir Putinat Christ the Savior Cathedral in February.

They were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in a case that prompted outrage from the political opposition and supporters around the world.

"The verdict was … handed down from above," defense lawyer Mark Feigin said.

"This is Putin's decision alone," he said glumly."The verdict is a reflection of the political situation that exists in Russia. Lawlessness has become normal." [Read more]

 

Last word of the protesters:

posted by: jrtelegraph