Pussy Riot judge under state protection

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

Protesters take part in Amnesty International flash mob demonstration in support of Pussy Riot in Edinburgh. The judge of the case will begin reading her verdict today. Reuters photo

Russian authorities placed the judge Marina Syrova who will decide the fate of the three Pussy Riot singers under state protection after she received threats.

A spokeswoman for the Khamovnichesky District Court Darya Lyakh which hears the controversial case said yesterday that Syrova had been placed under state protection after receiving threats from Pussy Riot supporters. “The threats have come from supporters of the band’s members,” Lyakh said. She refused to say whether Syrova’s family members could be placed under protection as well. Syrova is presiding over the highly-publicized trial of the young female punk rockers, who face three years in prison for staging a protest stunt against President Vladimir Putin inside a landmark Moscow church. She is due to begin reading her verdict today.

Members of the once unheralded band have been in pre-trial detention for five months awaiting the verdict, while global pop stars, rights groups and foreign governments alike have all rallied to their defense.