If anyone has been following the story of the trial of Russian political punk band Pussy Riot you will be interested to know that it came to an end yesterday resulting in the group being found guilty of hooliganism motivated by hatred. The group were arrested back in March after performing an anti-Putin protest song in a church in Moscow.

After a delayed verdict, it was announced that the band were found guilty of  hooliganism “motivated by religious hatred and emnity”. Beyond the initial guilty verdict here’s what the court has said so far:

“The Pussy Riot singers colluded under unestablished circumstances, for the purpose of offensively violating public peace in a sign of flagrant disrespect for citizens. The women were motivated by religious enmity and hatred, and acted provocatively and in an insulting manner inside a religious building in the presence of a large number of believers.” At this point the judge is still summing up the case. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich are all potentially facing three years in prison.

A whole host of musicians and celebrities have had their say on the matter, many dismissing the whole thing as a ‘joke’ and believing the imprisoning as ludicrous. Amnesty International have also created a petition addressed to the Russian prosecutors which you can sign here – Tell Russia To Drop All Charges And Release Pussy Riot!