The feminist Russian punk band on trial for protesting against Vladimir Putin have accused their judge of being politically biased and ignoring their side of the story.
The Pussy Riot members also said they did not mean to hurt anyone’s religious feelings when they performed a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour cathedral against Mr Putin’s return to the Russian presidency.
“We’ve been made scapegoats,” said band member Maria Alekhina.
But the judge refused to listen to any of the motions of the defence, and the daily 12-hour court sessions on hooliganism charges continued.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (23) and Alekhina (24) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (29) have been in custody for five months. The band members, who face a seven-year sentence if convicted, have previously complained they have been deprived of sleep and food. Pussy Riot performed its act in February as a protest against Mr Putin’s return to the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for him. – (AP)