Huge Pressure After Russia Repression of Rock Band to Show Leniency to Jailed Democracy Protesters

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World leaders slam Russia over Pussy Riot sentence

AFP – The United States led global condemnation of the two-year sentences meted out to Russian punk band Pussy Riot, as supporters of the women grabbed balaclavas and took to the streets in protest around the world. The United States on Friday called the sentences “disproportionate”, a criticism echoed.

In the weeks before Pussy Riot band members were sentenced to two years in a Russian prison, the feminist punk group’s plight had become a global cause, attracting activists and celebrities alike. But some are already starting to question whether the outpouring of support for Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.

In trials, like that of Pussy Riot, that are guided by powerful political interests, convictions are preordained, and the verdicts are generally identical to the initial indictment. In her tedious three-hour reading of the sentence by Judge Marina Syrova.