Prosecutor seeks jail for Russian punk rock band protest
Source: Reuters
Prosecutor seeks jail for Russian punk rock band protest
By Maria Tsvetkova
MOSCOW | Tue Aug 7, 2012 8:00am EDT
(Reuters) - A state prosecutor on Tuesday demanded a three-year jail term for three women from the punk band Pussy Riot, saying they had abused God when they stormed the altar of a Moscow cathedral and sang a "protest prayer" against the Russian Orthodox Church's close links to Vladimir Putin.
The case, in which the three are charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, has outraged many Russian Orthodox believers.
But it has also caused an international outcry and focused attention on a crackdown on dissent since Putin returned to the presidency for a six-year term on May 7.
"The actions of the accomplices clearly show religious hatred and enmity," federal prosecutor Alexei Nikiforov said in closing arguments, watched by the women's lawyers, friends and family in the tiny courtroom.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/entertainment-us-russia-pussyriot-trial-idUSBRE87406S20120807