Supporters of 3 feminist rockers protest outside trial

Описание: (7 Aug 2012) STORYLINE
Members of the feminist Russian punk band Pussy Riot arrived at court on Tuesday ahead of the seventh day of their trial on charges relating to their performance of a 'punk prayer' against Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main cathedral.
Supporters clapped and cheered as the three band members were escorted from the police van into the court.
One supporter, Viktor Zakharov, held a banner that appealed for leniency.
He said the way the trial has been handled is an ominous sign that a verdict will not be decided on independent grounds.
"The fact that the girls have been jailed for five months already says clearly that it lies outside of the legal field and that a justice system doesn't exist in this country," he said.
The three women - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich - have been in custody for five months following their stunt in February which was designed to protest Putin's return to the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church's support for him.
Band members have said they did not mean to hurt anyone's religious feelings.
Pussy Riot are facing a seven-year sentence if convicted and have previously complained that they've been deprived of sleep and food.
The three women have faced daily court hearings for some 12 hours - unusually long for Russian courts.
On Monday the band's defence lawyers filed yet another petition to remove the judge that was turned down.
Their case is part of a widening government crackdown on dissent that followed Putin's election in March and caused strong protests in Russia and abroad.
The trial that started in July has sharply divided Russia.
Some believers felt insulted by the act, while top rights groups have declared the women prisoners of conscience.
Many leading Western musicians have also voiced their support for the band, among them Madonna, who is on a concert tour of Russia.
She told the AP that she hopes for a quick release of the band members.


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