Maria Alekhina member of punk group Pussy Riot stand behind a glass wall at a court in Moscow
Maria Alekhina, left, Yekaterina Samutsevich, top, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, right, members of feminist punk group Pussy Riot seen behind a glass wall at a court in Moscow, Russia, Russia, Monday, July 30, 2012.Three members of the band are facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin from a pulpit of Moscow's main cathedral before Russia's presidential election in March, in which he won a third term. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Yekaterina Samutsevich, center, a member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot is escorted to a court room in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. The trio Pussy Riot face up to seven years behind bars after staging a performance in a Moscow cathedral calling on the Virgin Mary to remove President Putin from power. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Yekaterina Samutsevich, left, a member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot is escorted to a court room in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Maria Alekhina member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot stand behind a glass wall at a court in Moscow, Russia, Russia, Monday, July 30, 2012.Three members of the band are facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin from a pulpit of Moscow's main cathedral before Russia's presidential election in March, in which he won a third term. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Yekaterina Samutsevich member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot looks on as she stand behind bars in a court in Moscow, Russia, Russia, Monday, July 30, 2012. Three members of the band are facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin from a pulpit of Moscow's main cathedral before Russia's presidential election in March, in which he won a third term. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
From left, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of feminist punk group Pussy Riot sit behind bars at a court room in Moscow, Russia, Russia, Monday, July 30, 2012.Three members of the band are facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against Vladimir Putin from a pulpit of Moscow's main cathedral before Russia's presidential election in March, in which he won a third term. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Maria Alekhina, center, a member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot is escorted to a court room in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. The trio Pussy Riot face up to seven years behind bars after staging a performance in a Moscow cathedral calling on the Virgin Mary to remove President Putin from power. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
A masked protester waves from the cherry picker Russian police officers arrived in to detain three men in balaclava's on the balcony of a building, who were shouting: "Freedom to Pussy Riot!" in support of members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot during their appearance in a court room in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. Three protesters climbed onto the balcony of a building near the Moscow courthouse where the members of Pussy Riot are undergoing trial for the fifth day. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
A Russian police officer arrives to detain three men in balaclava's on the balcony of a building, who were shouting: "Freedom to Pussy Riot!" in support of members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot during their appearance in a court room in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. Three protesters climbed onto the balcony of a building near the Moscow courthouse where the members of Pussy Riot are undergoing trial for the fifth day. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Pussy Riot members, from left, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alekhina sit in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe.(AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Maria Alekhina, foreground right, a member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot is escorted to a court room in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, centre, a member of feminist punk group Pussy Riot is escorted to a court room in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the feminist punk rockers facing trial for performing a "punk prayer" against him at Moscow's main cathedral, but said that a punishment for them shouldn't be too severe. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Shaun Walker in Moscow
– 08 August 2012
As the trial of three members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot comes to a close in Moscow, state prosecutors are demanding a three-year jail sentence for the women.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (23), Maria Alekhina (24) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (29), face charges of hooliganism for their performance of a "punk prayer" in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February.
The prosecution has painted them as agents of nefarious forces intent on bringing down the Orthodox Church and Russia itself, while the defendants say the performance was a political protest about the church's support for President Vladimir Putin.
The performance saw five women, including the three on trial, rush to the space near the altar in the cathedral and dance maniacally. The video footage was later dubbed with the lyrics "Virgin Mary, chase out Putin".
The maximum sentence would be seven years, but after Mr Putin was quizzed on the case recently and said that the women should "not be judged too severely", it is unlikely the three would receive the harshest punishment.
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