Pussy Riot Sentenced to Two Years in Jail

Prepare for the music world to explode in anger: The three women of feminist punk band Pussy Riot, who were found guilty of hooliganism for staging an anti-Kremlin protest on the altar of Moscow's main Russian Orthodox church, have been sentenced to two years in prison, Reuters reports. Wow. How messed up is that?

After serving five months in prison since their arrest, the Russian punks were found guilty this morning of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." This stems from their February performance at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, where Pussy Riot led a "prayer" asking the Virgin Mary to prevent Russian president Vladimir Putin’s re-election. Apparently in Russia that'll earn you two years in jail. 

The three women of Pussy Riot – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Mariya Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevic (two are mothers to young children) – faced up to seven years in prison. According to CNN, judge Marina Sirovaya said the five months they have spent in jail will count toward their sentence. 

Sirovaya said that the apologies by the defendants "were not sincere" and described their conduct as "an unprecedented act of hooliganism by women."

The trial has ignited international outrage and concern about freedom of speech in Russia, with artists like  Madonna, Bjork, Paul McCartney and Sting, among many, many others, all showing their support for the imprisoned trio.

For more background on the Pussy Riot sentence, check out our videos below.