Reuters reports that the Pussy Riot appeal which was supposed to start on Monday was delayed by a court in Moscow. According to the report, Yekaterina Samutsevich, one of the members of the punk band was forced to dismiss her defense lawyers because they did not agree on the way in which the case should be handled.
The three members of the Pussy Riot punk band were sentenced to two years in jail for performing a protest against Vladimir Putin during a religious service at the Christ the Saviour Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow in February. Their appeal was supposed to start on Monday, but the Moscow court dealing with the case announced that the hearing will be postponed until October 10th.
The court’s representatives told the press that the decision was taken after one of the members of the band, namely, Yekaterina Samutsevich, told them that she is no longer represented by lawyers. The girl stated that there has been a misunderstanding between her and her legal representatives over the way the case should be handled and, as a result, Yekaterina was forced to fire her defense lawyers.
Russia is trying to solve the Pussy Riot case in the shortest amount of time possible because the conflict between the three girls from the Pussy Riot band and Vladimir Putin has drawn the attention of the Western countries. The majority of the Western governments declared themselves outraged by the long sentence, i.e. two years, that the three girls received. The episode was used by Putin’s opposition as a pretext to criticize Putin’s political regime. Most Russians, however, think the women were just trying to boost their career by drawing everyone’s attention through a rebellious act.
Samutsevich, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were sentenced to two years in jail after they were found guilty in August of hooliganism. The three girls burst into the Christ the Saviour Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow while a religious service was being performed. They started belting out a “punk prayer” asking Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin. The act was condemned both by the Russian premier and the church.
