A Moscow court has announced that preliminary hearings will begin on July 20 in the trial of members of the all-female Pussy Riot punk band.
The The Khamovnichesky Court said the hearings, during which the judge is expected to consider extending the detention of the three young women, will be held behind closed doors.
Prosecutors on July 12 unveiled their case against the trio, accusing them of inflicting "deep spiritual wounds" on Orthodox Christians with their appearance in Christ the Savior Cathedral, when they denounced Vladimir Putin’s rule in Russia.
The three -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alekhina -- have been in pretrial detention since March.
The human rights group Amnesty International says the women are being unfairly prosecuted and has described them as “prisoners of conscience.”
The The Khamovnichesky Court said the hearings, during which the judge is expected to consider extending the detention of the three young women, will be held behind closed doors.
Prosecutors on July 12 unveiled their case against the trio, accusing them of inflicting "deep spiritual wounds" on Orthodox Christians with their appearance in Christ the Savior Cathedral, when they denounced Vladimir Putin’s rule in Russia.
The three -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alekhina -- have been in pretrial detention since March.
The human rights group Amnesty International says the women are being unfairly prosecuted and has described them as “prisoners of conscience.”