Neetzan Zimmerman

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The three members of feminist Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced today in Moscow to two years in jail after being found guilty of "hooliganism driven by religious hatred."

They were arrested earlier this year after an impromptu performance of "an anti-Putin 'punk prayer'" inside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral.

While the verdict has riled many who feel their punishment does not fit the "crime," no one is perhaps more upset than members of the Ukrainian feminist protest group FEMEN. To show the world just how pissed off they are, a topless FEMEN activist was sent to "chop down" a giant wooden cross situated near Independence Square in Kyiv.

The group released this statement a short time later:

On the day of the sentencing, the Femen women's movement expresses its support and respect for its Russian colleagues from the group Pussy Riot. ... By this act, Femen calls on all healthy forces of society to mercilessly saw out of their heads all the rotten religious prejudice that serves as a foundation for dictatorship and prevents the development of democracy and women's freedom.

The cross was installed near the city's International Center for Culture and Arts following Ukraine's Orange Revolution. It served as a memorial for the victims of Communism.

[video via RT via Nerdcore]

Via: gawker.com

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