Russian Orthodox Church Calls for Court Leniency if Pussy Riot Repent

World | September 30, 2012, Sunday // 11:27
Bulgaria: Russian Orthodox Church Calls for Court Leniency if Pussy Riot Repent Pussy Riot rehearsal, photo by BGNES

The Russian Orthodox Church released Sunday a statement addressing the Moscow City Court, saying that the magistrates should take into account a potential expression of repentance on the part of the three members of feminist punk band Pussy Riot.

"Considering that the aim of punishment is correction, some words by the offenders of the law evidencing their repentance and rethinking of what their have done should be heard and they should get a chance to embark upon the path of correction," the statement of the Russian Orthodox Church said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

The three Pussy Riot members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were sentenced to two years of imprisonment in August.

The three were convicted of hooliganism and inciting religious hatred for storming into Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and performing a "punk prayer".

On February 21, 2012, just two weeks before the presidential elections, Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and Samutsevich called on the Virgin Mary to "drive Putin away".

The Moscow City Court is scheduled to hear an appeal against Pussy Riot's prison sentence on October 1.

During the trial, the three members of the punk rock band apologized to Russian Orthodox believers if they felt they had been insulted but rejected a proposal for public repentance.

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Tags: Pussy Riot, Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow

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