Putin hopes for leniency for Pussy Riot

LONDON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hopes members of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot won't be judged too harshly for allegedly protesting in a church.

On a one-day trip to London, Putin said "there is nothing good in this" trial against Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, who are charged with hooliganism for allegedly staging the musical protest inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in February, The Guardian reported.

"I don't think they should be judged too severely for this," Putin said. "But the final decision rests with the courts -- I hope the court will deliver a correct, well-founded ruling."

Mark Feygin, a lawyer for Pussy Riot, said Putin's statement shows the president is trying to avoid taking responsibility for the court's ruling.

"On the one hand, Putin's statement is without doubt a maneuver for the international community, because he is clearly worried and traumatized by the international reaction, as it is out of his control," Feygin said. "On the other hand, he is frantically trying to find an exit, so as not to take responsibility."

The three suspects have pleaded not guilty to the hooliganism charges. Witnesses said four masked members of Pussy Riot burst into the Russian Orthodox cathedral and sang out "Mother of God, Blessed Virgin, drive out Putin!" while dancing, The Guardian reported. They said they were protesting the Orthodox Christian Church's support of Putin ahead of elections.