Pussy Riot’s Appeal Hearing Pushed Back To October 10

Pussy Riot‘s appeal hearing for their two-year jail sentence has been delayed by a Moscow court due to procedural concerns.

The Russian punk group were originally scheduled to have their appeal heard today (Russian time) until a last minute development led to the hearing being postponed.

The Guardian reports that as the hearing began, one of the band members – Yekaterina Samutsevich – said she no longer desired the services of one of her lawyers, Violetta Volkova. Volkova was a member of the outspoken legal trio that has been representing the women.

A judge at the court said the hearing will resume next week after Samutsevich has found a new lawyer.

Samutsevich and fellow band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were jailed for two years on August 17 after being found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

The band performed a song criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral. Following the development of the case, the Russian Orthodox Church has since called for Pussy Riot to have a chance to ‘repent’ of their ways.

A spokesperson told Reuters: “The church sincerely wishes for the repentance of those who desecrated a holy place, certainly it would benefit their souls. If any words of the convicts indicate repentance…we would wish that they are not left unnoticed and those who violated the law get a chance to mend their ways.”

Pussy Riot’s arrest has been condemned worldwide, with the likes of Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paul McCartney calling for them to be released. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also said they should be freed.

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