One member of Pussy Riot freed after appeal

However, the other two imprisoned members have had their two-year jail sentences upheld

One of the three convicted members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot has been freed.

The BBC reports that there were cheers in court when the two-year jail term of one of the women, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was suspended.

However, the other two women, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova have had their jail terms upheld after their appeal today (October 10).

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The three Pussy Riot members received two-year prison sentences on August 17 after being found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after they were arrested following an anti-Putin gig in Moscow’s main cathedral.

Judges today accepted the argument of Samutsevich’s lawyer that she had been thrown out of the cathedral by guards before she could remove her guitar from its case for the band’s “punk prayer”. The other band members cheered and hugged Samutsevich when the decision was read out.

Pussy Riot’s imprisonment has sparked condemnation across the world, with a raft of musicians including Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paul McCartney calling for them to be released. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also said they should be freed.

Earlier Alyokhina told the hearing: “We’re all innocent… the verdict should be overturned. The Russian justice system looks discredited”. Speaking about the group’s protest earlier this year, she said “Of course we didn’t want to offend worshippers”.

She added that the trio’s apologies had been ignored, but that they would not repent, as it is a personal matter and not one connected with the legal case. “For us to repent – that’s unacceptable, it’s a kind of blackmail,” she said.
You can watch a video message from members of Pussy Riot below.

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