Kremlin’s rights council blasts Pussy Riot verdict

In this Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 file photo, feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova show the court’s verdict as they sit in a glass cage at a courtroom in Moscow. AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File

MOSCOW — The Russian human rights council is questioning the guilty verdict and two-year prison sentences against punk provocateurs Pussy Riot.

The presidential council on human rights said in a statement late Tuesday that “criminal law was used to deal with actions which entail administrative liability only” in the case. Members also questioned why the court did not impose suspended sentences on two of the three women who have small children.

Three members of the band were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred earlier this month after performing a “punk prayer” against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s main cathedral. The verdict caused protests and outrage both in Russia and abroad.

The council is an independent advisory body appointed by the president and its recommendations are not binding.