Putin warns against harsh judging of Pussy Riot trial

A day after President Vladimir Putin spoke out against "judging too harshly" three Pussy Riot band members facing hooliganism charges, the judge overseeing the case refused to allow defense witnesses to testify.

Meanwhile on Friday, Moscow's Khamovnichesky District Court began studying evidence in the case — video recordings of the band's performances at Christ the Savior Cathedral and two other churches — as Pussy Riot supporters clambered onto a nearby rooftop to voice calls to release the three female punk rockers.

"There's nothing good in it. … Nevertheless, I don't think that they should be judged too harshly," Putin told journalists in London late Thursday, answering a question about the band's performance.

"I hope that they [the defendants] will make some conclusions themselves, although the final decision must be delivered by the court," Putin said, RIA-Novosti reported. "I hope that the court will make a correct decision that is justified," he added.

Defense lawyer Nikolai Polozov called Putin's comments a "crucial turn" in the case, Interfax reported.

The trial entered a fifth day at the Khamovnichesky court Friday morning.

"The court will begin to study the evidence," Judge Marina Syrova announced in a calm voice.

"Shove culture up your ass, we are going to the prosecutors!" she unexpectedly shouted out after a small pause. She smiled as she finished reading.

The judge was reading from an A4 sheet, which contained extracts of the band's performances, including "Fuck the state!" "Police don't let us live," and others promising to revenge police and containing obscenities and offensive remarks about priests and prosecutors.

After reading to the end of the list, Syrova presented other evidence: a yellow dress, two hats with holes for the eyes and mouth and two CDs.

When the evidence was put on display, the defendants and some journalists laughed, which made the prosecutor ask the judge to evict those who laughed for a second time.

One young female journalist barely smiled before a court marshal took her by the arm, hastily escorted her to the door and pushed her outside.

The judge and the prosecutor played video recordings of the band's performances for the defendants on a laptop computer, but shielded the screen from journalists.

Later in the afternoon, anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, called as a witness for the defense, arrived outside the courthouse at about 4 p.m. Navalny was immediately surrounded by a crowd of cameramen, photographers and reporters.

“I’ve come here not so much to defend Pussy Riot, but to defend law and justice,” Navalny told journalists. “The trial is politically motivated,” he said, adding that he was acquainted with “Tolokno,” a nickname of one of the defendants, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22.

Syrova later refused to question Navalny, saying he was “neither a witness, nor an expert.” Defense lawyer Mark Feigin told the court that Syrova “gave an order not to let [Navalny] inside” the courthouse. Another defense lawyer, Violetta Volkova, loudly supported Feigin.

At that moment, a rottweiler lying a meter away from Volkova, at the feet of a riot policeman, jumped up and barked loudly at Volkova. Subsequently, all through Friday’s hearing, the dog jumped, barked and roared almost every time defense lawyers started arguing with the judge.

At about 3 p.m., three masked men climbed the third-story roof of a library near the courthouse and started shouting “Free Pussy Riot!” Sixty journalists and supporters outside the court, in addition to those sitting inside the courtroom, welcomed them with the refrain, “Way to go!” Three police officers climbed after the masked supporters, using scaffolding.

The police tried in vain to persuade the activists climb down, without approaching them, for about 20 minutes. Two policemen then descended, while the third leaned against the wall beside the protesters and spit lazily.

When the protesters resumed shouting, some onlookers started clapping their hands. A policeman immediately emerged before the crowd, saying through a loudspeaker: “Dear citizens! I urge you not to commit violations.”

Finally, the policeman on the roof tied a rope around the protesters’ waists, apparently to protect them from falling. About an hour later, several police officers dragged the protesters down from the roof, using a motorized crane.


The Moscow Times