Moscow Court Postpones Pussy Riot Appeal
Published: October 1, 2012 (Issue # 1728)
MOSCOW — A Russian court has postponed the appeal of three members of jailed rock band Pussy Riot until Oct. 10 after one group member fired her lawyers.
The three performers were sentenced in August to two years in prison for performing a “punk prayer” against President Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s main cathedral.
Yekaterina Samutsevich announced at the opening of hearings that she recused her three lawyers over an unspecified disagreement.
A day before the hearing, the Russian Orthodox Church said the rockers would deserve mercy if they offer repentance for their stunt. The move followed a statement by the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who said that keeping them in prison any longer would be “unproductive.”