Pussy Riot Guilty of 'Hooliganism': Two Year Jail Sentence [VIDEO]

A judge in the highly controversial Moscow trail involving three members of the punk rock feminist band Pussy Riot came to a decision on Friday, sentencing each woman to two years in prison for "committing hooliganism driven by religious hatred" and offending religious believers.

Back in March, while Russia was experiencing intense protests against the rule of Vladimir Putin, members of the all-female, highly-controversial feminist punk band Pussy Riot donned masks and staged a high-profile protest against the church's support for the former Russian officer. The women began to gather a crowd and create mayhem around the altar of the Christ the Savior Cathedral, a place where Russia's leaders traditionally celebrate religious holidays. The women also lead an anti-Putin "punk prayer."

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 were then detained in Moscow, and their trial has received international attention ever since. According to supporters of the "Free Pussy Riot" cause (which includes such big names as the Red hot Chili Peppers, Madonna, and Paul McCartney), the imprisonment of these three females was a "cruel, heavy handed act of oppression" which has strongly "discourage[d] free thought and speech in Russia."

Although the members of Pussy Riot insist that they did not mean to hurt anyone's religious feelings or values, Judge Syrova stated that Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova, and Samutsevich had offended the feelings of Orthodox believers and shown a "complete lack of respect." The prosecution had originally sought a three-year jail sentence, although the women could have faced a maximum of up to seven years.

The judge agreed with the prosecution that the protest act had been one of "blasphemy, not politics."

Pussy Riot's new single "Putin Lights Up the Fires" - The Guardian has made a video montage of the imprisoned Riot members and of their supporters.

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