The woman in the center Yekaterina Samutsevich was unexpectedly set free in Moscow earlier today. While Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova had their two year jail sentence upheld, according to our souurces (otherwise known as Associated Press who broke the story four hours ago).
Apparently Yetekarina was thrown out of the cathedral by guards before the performance had begun.
Here is the entire AP report:
MOSCOW — A Moscow appeals court on Wednesday unexpectedly freed one jailed member of punk band Pussy Riot, but upheld the two-year prison sentences for the two other women jailed for an irreverent protest against President Vladimir Putin.
All three women were convicted in August of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. They argued in court on Wednesday that their impromptu performance inside Moscow’s main cathedral in February was political in nature and not an attack on religion.
The case has been condemned in the U.S. and Europe, where it has been seen as an illustration of Putin’s intensifying crackdown on dissent after his return to the presidency after four years as prime minister.
The Moscow City Court ruled that Yekaterina Samutsevich’s sentence should be suspended because she was thrown out of the cathedral by guards before she could remove her guitar from its case and take part in the performance.
“The punishment for an incomplete crime is much lighter than for a completed one,” said Samutsevich’s lawyer, Irina Khrunova. “She did not participate in the actions the court found constituted hooliganism.”
OK, so that is one down and two to go. If Pussy Riot's plan was to highlight that Russia was run by gangsters, well, it becomes somewhat hard to deny now. So Pussy Riot might well have been the single most successful piece of rock and roll propaganda ever. Wanna talk about a hot tix? Their set at Bowery ballroom will be hotter than the new Stones gigs at Barclay center.