Pussy Riot protest video banned by Russian court
A Moscow court has branded the much-circulated video of Pussy Riot's punk music protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin as extremist and ordered it removed from websites.
On Thursday, Russian Judge Marina Musimovich said the video "has elements of extremism, in particular there are words and actions which humiliate various social groups based on their religion."
The court has banned the video of the protest.
Officials said the ruling was based on conclusions made by a panel of experts who had studied the footage, which features the female band members — clad in neon-coloured miniskirts and tights, with homemade balaclavas covering their faces — dancing inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow in February 2012.
They called their performance a "punk prayer" asking the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Putin, who was subsequently elected for a third term.
Three members of the band were ultimately convicted on the charge of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in August and sentenced to two years in prison. An appeals court freed one of the women in October, but upheld the sentences for the remaining two, who were sent to prison colonies hundreds of kilometres from Moscow.
The Pussy Riot members' detention and conviction drew condemnation worldwide. Critics have decried the treatment of the women, with solidarity protests staged in many cities and the band receiving messages of support from artists like Paul McCartney, Madonna and Peaches as well as international bodies such as Amnesty International. Some world leaders have also described the sentence as disproportionate to the actions.
