No Putin At Pussy Riot Trial

A court has rejected a request for Russian President Vladimir Putin to give evidence in the trial of three girls from punk rock group Pussy Riot, who face up to seven years in jail if found guilty of “hooliganism.”

The Russian leader was one of 34 people defense lawyer Mark Feigin wanted to call as witnesses, but the preliminary hearing held July 23 turned him down on all of them. He can re-make the requests when the full trial opens July 30.

“So for now only the prosecution side’s witnesses will take part,” Feigin told Reuters.

Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, who have been in jail since they stormed the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February to stage a “punk prayer” to the Virgin Mary to “Throw Putin Out!”

Their performance was part of the biggest opposition protests of Putin’s 12-year rule, ahead of his March election to a new six-year presidential term after a stint as prime minister.

Although the protest offended many believers and drew heavy criticism from Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill, another who Feigin wanted to see in the witness box, Amnesty International and other human rights organisations claim the three women are prisoners of conscience “detained solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs.”