Russian Court Frees One Pussy Riot Member
A Moscow court of appeals has freed one member of Pussy Riot but has upheld the two-year sentence of the other two members who were jailed earlier this year after hosting a “punk prayer” demonstration against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s largest church.
The three Pussy Riot members were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in August for the protest, reports CBS News.
The group argued in court on Wednesday that their performance was not against religion but instead politically motivated, making the charges against them false.
The judge ultimately ruled that Yekaterina Samutsevich’s sentence would be suspended because guards threw her out of the chucch before she could take part in the punk prayer performance.
Anna Usachyova, the court’s spokeswoman, announced that, per the court’s decision, the released Pussy Riot member will be “rehabilitated” outside of prison, meaning that the court will most likely impose a number of restrictions on the girl.
The band’s lawyers will continue to seek to have all three women’s convictions overturned. They can, and most likely will, take their complaints to the European court system as well as the Moscow City Court Presidium for further appeals.
According to the BBC, the other two other imprisoned band members hugged Yekaterina Samutsevich after she won her argument and was freed from prison. Mark Feigin, a defense lawyer for the women, stated:
“We’re glad that Yekaterina Samutsevich has been freed, but we think the other two girls should also be released.”
Maria Alyokhina, one of the two remaining jailed Pussy Riot members, stated that the girls had no intention of offending worshippers when they protested on the cathedral’s altar. She added, “For us to repent — that’s unacceptable, it’s kind of blackmail.” The Russian Orthodox Church stated last month that the women should be offered clemency — as long as they repent for their sins.
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