Pussy Riot trial in Moscow nears verdict

A court case that has divided the Russian public and prompted human rights groups to accuse president Vladimir Putin of clamping down on political dissent is nearing its conclusion.

The Guardian reports that the three young women in the punk band Pussy Riot could face sentencing before the week's end on charges of "hoolganism motivated by religious hatred" stemming from a February protest performance at the alter Moscow's main church earlier this year.

In their closing arguments, prosectors said the three band members – Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (pictured) and Yekaterina Samutsevich - should face three years in prison for insulting Russian Orthodoxy and posing a danger to society.

"They must be isolated from society," federal prosecutor Alexei Nikiforov told a Moscow court on Tuesday, adding that the women are dangerous femininsts that would re-offend if released.

Prosecutors argued that the "punk prayer" Pussy Riot performed at the cathedral was not a political act because the song's lyrics did not specifically name politicans. The name and chorus of the song was called "Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Out."

"All the defendants talked about being feminists and said that is allowed in the Russian Orthodox church," said Yelena Pavlova, a lawyer for several of the nine victims who claimed they were insulted by Pussy Riot's performance. "This does not correspond with reality. Feminism is a mortal sin."

Defense attornies for Pussy Riot countered that the song was a political protest in opposition to Putin and not motivated by religious hatred. Lawyer Mark Fegyin argued that a conviction would "tear up relations between society and government."

"Russia has no rule of law. Russia has no justice system," he said. "Nothing has changed from Soviet times."

He added: "If the order is handed down from above to jail them, then they will be jailed. This is a political case from beginning to end."

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