On February 21 this year, Maria Alyokhina (24) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (22) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (30) of the punk band Pussy Riot, stormed into Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral and belted out a ‘punk prayer’, asking the Virgin Mary to “Throw Putin out!” They were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

The three have been held more than five months at Pre-Trial Detention Facility No. 6, near Pechatniki metro station in Moscow.

In her defiant and thoughtful closing statement at the trial a couple of days ago, Yekaterina Samutsevich  said:

In the closing statement, the defendant is expected to repent, express regret for their deeds or enumerate attenuating circumstances. In my case, as in the case of my colleagues in the group, this is completely unnecessary. Instead, I want to voice my thoughts about the reasons behind what has happened to us. Continue reading We have lost to the judicial machine, but still we have won: Pussy Riot →