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Russian Court Rejects Pussy Riot Appeal


Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina (left to right), Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass-walled cage in a courtroom in Moscow in October 2012 during their trial.
Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina (left to right), Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass-walled cage in a courtroom in Moscow in October 2012 during their trial.
A Russian court has rejected an appeal by three Pussy Riot members against their conviction.

The Moscow City Court's presidium upheld the verdict against Yekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alyokhina, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova on March 15, but the decision was published on March 20.

In a ruling posted on the court's website, Judge Ellada Bondarenko ruled that the women's punishment was "fair and proportional to the offense."

The three were given two-year sentences last year after being convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

Samutsevich was later released on appeal, but her conviction was not overturned.

Samutsevich, Alyokhina, and Tolokonnikova have submitted complaints to the European Court of Human Rights over their treatment in custody.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and RFE/RL

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

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