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.
