Three members of the Russian female punk band Pussy Riot are among the eight candidates nominated for the 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The trio, who were imprisoned for staging a musical protest derogatory to President Vladimir Putin at Moscow's main cathedral early this year, were nominated on Thursday by Werner Schulz, German member of the European Parliament.
Moscow's Khamovniki District Court on August 17 sentenced Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich to two years in prison for storming the altar of Christ the Savior Cathedral on February 21 along with several unidentified persons in masks, and singing a punk prayer imploring Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out."
They were convicted on charge of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and hostility.
They said their actions were to protest against the open backing of Putin's election campaign by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The incident took place amid mass protests against Putin's plans to run for the Presidency for a third time. Putin, who was the Prime Minister then, subsequently emerged victorious in the March Presidential elections.
The case against the activists of Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist punk-rock collective that stages politically provocative impromptu performances in Moscow on national political life, has evoked divided response, with many believing that it was politically-motivated. The trio had been in prison ever since their arrest in February as their request for bail was rejected. Some feel their harsh treatment is indicative of the government's firm stand against dissidents.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament said the human rights situation in Russia had deteriorated drastically in the last few months, with the adoption of a series of laws that could be used to further restrict opposition and hinder freedom of expression. Lawmakers cited the cases of Pussy Riot and the Opposition party member Gennady Gudkov as examples.
It expressed hope that the sentence would be reviewed and reversed in line with Russia's international commitments. The European Parliament is "deeply disappointed with the verdict and the disproportionate sentence" against the punk band, describing it as "politically motivated intimidation of Opposition activists," the resolution said.
Other nominees for the prestigious Sakharov Prize, which carries a prize-money of EUR 50,000, include Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, as well as members of the Rwandan and Iranian Opposition.
The candidates will be officially presented on September 25, and the winner announced in December.
South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela and Soviet dissident Anatoly Marchenko, who died in prison, were among the recipients of the Prize, which is given to individuals and organizations around the world who have made a special contribution to human rights protection.
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