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Moscow Dismisses Foreign Criticism Of Pussy Riot Ruling


The three members of Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years each in prison.
The three members of Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years each in prison.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has denounced international criticism of the trial of three members of the feminist punk performance-art group Pussy Riot as "politically motivated," saying there were "elements of a clash of civilizations" in Western condemnation.

Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a statement that "the case has served only as an occasion for the latest wave of rushed, biased, and politically charged evaluations."

Three members of Pussy Riot each received two-year jail sentences last week on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after they staged a protest against links between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church at a Moscow cathedral.

Critics of Putin say the case illustrates Putin's lack of tolerance for political dissent.

Meanwhile, a court in Moscow has fined a Kazakh supporter of Pussy Riot 500 rubles ($16).

Tatyana Romanova, 23, from the city of Qaraghandy in central Kazakhstan was found guilty of “refusing to obey orders from law enforcement officers.”

On August 17, Romanova climbed on a light post with a colored mask on her head in front of the Turkish Embassy near Khamovnichesky court in Moscow to express her support for Pussy Riot.



Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, ITAR-TASS, and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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