Russia's Foreign Ministry has denounced international criticism of the trial of three members of the feminist punk performance-art group Pussy Riot as "politically motivated," saying there were "elements of a clash of civilizations" in Western condemnation.
Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a statement that "the case has served only as an occasion for the latest wave of rushed, biased, and politically charged evaluations."
Three members of Pussy Riot each received two-year jail sentences last week on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after they staged a protest against links between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church at a Moscow cathedral.
Critics of Putin say the case illustrates Putin's lack of tolerance for political dissent.
Meanwhile, a court in Moscow has fined a Kazakh supporter of Pussy Riot 500 rubles ($16).
Tatyana Romanova, 23, from the city of Qaraghandy in central Kazakhstan was found guilty of “refusing to obey orders from law enforcement officers.”
On August 17, Romanova climbed on a light post with a colored mask on her head in front of the Turkish Embassy near Khamovnichesky court in Moscow to express her support for Pussy Riot.
Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a statement that "the case has served only as an occasion for the latest wave of rushed, biased, and politically charged evaluations."
Three members of Pussy Riot each received two-year jail sentences last week on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after they staged a protest against links between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church at a Moscow cathedral.
Critics of Putin say the case illustrates Putin's lack of tolerance for political dissent.
Meanwhile, a court in Moscow has fined a Kazakh supporter of Pussy Riot 500 rubles ($16).
Tatyana Romanova, 23, from the city of Qaraghandy in central Kazakhstan was found guilty of “refusing to obey orders from law enforcement officers.”
On August 17, Romanova climbed on a light post with a colored mask on her head in front of the Turkish Embassy near Khamovnichesky court in Moscow to express her support for Pussy Riot.
