Worldwide support rallies for Pussy Riot

There have been protests across Europe and the United States in support of the jailed Russian punk band Pussy Riot.

They were sentenced to two years for their outburst in a church against president Vladimir Putin.

In New York several people were arrested on a March trough Manhattan to Times Square. Yuri Astakhov has been living there for 20 years:

“I think it’s really awful that these girls have been given jail sentences. What’s happened and what’s still happening is a medieval inquisition”.

There were also several protests across Europe including Berlin, Paris and Brussels.

In Moscow the father of one of the jailed women, Yekaterina Samutsevich, spoke to reporters outside the court.

“I’m very emotional”, said Stanislav Samutsevich. “I’m simply devastated by such a cruel verdict. I might have been ready for this but I still hoped for a suspended sentence. It’s just horrible”.

People waiting outside the tribunal on Friday reacted differently after the verdict. Some said the sentence was not long enough for what they had done. Others were outraged at the jailing and several were arrested.

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