The trial inspired a wave of small but raucous protests across Europe and North America in support of the feminist rockers, who have been dubbed prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.
Hundreds of Pussy Riot supporters waiting outside the Moscow courtroom
chanted "down with the police state" when the sentence was announced.
Dozens were detained, including several opposition leaders.
The
three women were arrested in March after a guerrilla performance in
Moscow's main cathedral where they high-kicked and danced while singing a
"punk prayer" pleading with the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Vladimir Putin, who was elected to a third term as Russia's president two weeks later.
Judge
Marina Syrova said in her verdict that the band members "committed
hooliganism driven by religious hatred." She rejected the women's
arguments that they were protesting the Orthodox Church's support for Putin and didn't intend to offend religious believers.
Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30,
stood in handcuffs in a glass cage in the courtroom for three hours as
the judge read the verdict. They smiled sadly as the judge recounted
testimony of prosecution witnesses accusing them of sacrilege and
"devilish dances" in church and said that their feminist views made them
hate the Orthodox religion.
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