The central Khamovniki court in Moscow erupted in chaos Friday when defense witnesses for Pussy Riot – the three feminist punk rockers charged in what many consider a political show trial – were denied the opportunity to testify on the musicians' behalf.
After the prosecution read a statement from their absent last witness
(the senior priest at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral), the Pussy
Riot defense team demanded that Judge Marina Syrova order guards to let
in their witnesses, who have been kept out of the building. Syrova
repeatedly ignored motions for witness testimonies. A huge barking
Rottweiler kept in the courtroom, and three men in balaclavas outside
yelling "Free Pussy Riot," escalated the mayhem.
Two of the girls' college professors and a friend were allowed to
testify on the defendants' character. One noted that bandmember Maria
Alyokhina, 24, is a poet who volunteers at a hospital run by a Christian
Orthodox organization. Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, was characterized as
a good student. A witness who was supposed to testify on the character
of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, could not be found.
Samutsevich, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova have been on trial since
Monday. They were arrested in early March for performing a "punk prayer"
in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and posting a video of the
performance on the Internet. They have been in jail since.
A yellow dress and blue balaclavas were presented as evidence Friday,
sparking laughter from the women and journalists observing the
proceedings.
The prosecution questioned four other witnesses this week, including
two women who cleaned the Bogoyavlensky Cathedral, where part of the
video was filmed; a real estate agent who saw the video online and
believes Pussy Riot declared war on God, Christianity and the
government; and Samutsevich's father, who called the arrest and trial
absurd.
The arrest and the trial are the result of direct Kremlin orders to
quash any form of political protest, charged Alyokhina's lawyer, Nikolai
Polozov.
The trial has aroused wide public response. Amnesty International
declared the musicians prisoners of conscience, and several musicians,
including Patti Smith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have called for
their release.
Syrova pushed some sessions this week up to 12 hours, which is a sign
that the authorities want to close the case as soon as possible,
according to Polozov. The longer the trial lasts, the more controversy
it appears to be gathering.
On Thursday the Russian law association published an open letter,
signed by 35 prominent lawyers, declaring that the Pussy Riot cathedral
performance was no crime. President Vladimir Putin told journalists in
London Thursday that although he believes there is nothing good about
what the women have done, they should not be punished too severely.
But such statements have had no effect on the trial, Polozov said. "This isn't a trial – it's total chaos," he said.
Source
Posted 08/12
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