Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Russian Court Finds Pussy Riot Guilty Of "Hooliganism," Women Will Serve 2 Years In Prison
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 17, 2012
Modified Aug 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 17, 2012
Modified Aug 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
[UPDATE BELOW] This morning the Russian court found Pussy Riot guilty of "hooliganism," after the band performed a short "punk prayer" inside Christ Savior Cathedral back in February. The prayer said: "Mother Mary please drive Putin away," and they have stated that the performance was meant to highlight the close relationship between the church and state. This verdict will now highlight that even more. The three women now face up to seven years in prison for the act—here is a timeline of their trial up until now.
The judge said that the women "imitated demonic attacks," and that they were "motivated by hatred and religious enmity." She added, "Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina and Samutsevich committed hooliganism—in other words, a grave violation of public order. The court finds them quilty. The court reached this decision based on testimony of the defendants themselves and other evidence." There's not a full English translation at the moment, but some of it reads:
"The Pussy Riot singers colluded under unestablished circumstances, for the purpose of offensively violating public peace in a sign of flagrant disrespect for citizens. The women were motivated by religious enmity and hatred, and acted provocatively and in an insulting manner inside a religious building in the presence of a large number of believers. Intending to make the planned actions public and ensure that they drew public response, to draw the attention of the public to their illegal actions, and to communicate the expressed disrespect not only to the clergy and people in the church, but also to other citizens who were not present in the church at the time [of the punk prayer], but shared Orthodox traditions, Samutsevich, Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and their unidentified accomplice informed various media assistants and active bloggers on their action."
Here's an English stream from inside of the courtroom, where the judge is still speaking as of 8:20 a.m. EST:
Everyone from Paul McCartney to Madonna to Bjork to Chloe Sevigny have spoken out in support of the women, whose ordeal has sparked international concern about freedom of speech in the country. Even Russian chess grandmaster, and former World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov has been arrested at a Pussy Riot protest outside of the courthouse today. One witness Tweeted a photo of the arrest, adding, "This is the police wrestling with Garry Kasparov inside the paddy van. Are they beating him?"
This is the police wrestling with Garry Kasparov inside the paddy van. Are they beating him? twitter.com/obk/status/236…
— Olaf Koens (@obk) August 17, 2012
The AP reports that "a police bus is driving off outside [of the courtroom], full of protesters shouting: 'Putin will die in prison.'"
We'll be updating this post as more comes in. Here is video of what happened in the church in February, showing Pussy Riot members being detained by security:
This morning, starting at 9 a.m., there is a masquerade protest party and march in Manhattan, ending around 2 p.m. in Times Square.
UPDATE: Each band member receives two years, to be served in prison, which begins from the day of their arrest. According to the Guardian, when the sentence was read "a shout of 'shame'" went up in the courtroom. They also reported that the women of Pussy Riot were "laughing."
Tagged
church and state
free speech
guilty
pussy riot
russia
verdict
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
An excellent and diverse month of concerts are in store for October.
By
Hank Shteamer
Published Oct 2, 2026
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
October is spooky season at the movies in New York City
By
Emma Stefansky
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
By
Quinn Moreland
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .