Pussy Riot Member Yekaterina Samutsevich Freed From Prison

A member of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot was set free earlier this morning when her lawyer informed the judge that Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, did not participate in the protest that the group staged against president Vladimir Putin.

Three members of the band, Samutsevich, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, were each sentenced to two years in prison on Aug. 12 for "hooliganism." The group sang an anti-government protest song in a church in Moscow back in February of this year.

At the first appeals hearing, which was held last Monday (Oct. 1), Samutsevich decided to change lawyers. After appealing the sentence today (Oct. 10) before a court hearing in Moscow, Samutsevich's new lawyer informed the court that his client had not taken part in the stunt as she was restrained by police before the incident occurred.

The panel of three judges immediately ordered Samutsevich to be freed, revoking her conviction -- but upheld the sentences of Tolokonnikova and Alekhina. The two will be separated into different "penal colonies" in Russia to serve the rest of their terms.

"I have lost all hope in the court. But I want again and for the last time, because we probably won't get another chance, to talk about our motives. Dear believers, we did not want to offend you," said Alekhina (via The Guardian).

Tolokonnikova argued once again that the band's "punk prayer" performance was political, not religious. "We don't have and have never had any religious hate," she said.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Samutsevich said she is relieved, but still worried for her bandmates. "Of course, I am glad but I am upset because of the girls, that their sentences have not been changed," Samutsevich told reporters outside the courthouse after she was released.

The Herald also reports that Mark Feigin, one of the other defense lawyers, is worried about the outcome of the hearing and how it looks for the other two members. "If the law does not work in relation to Tolokonnikova and Alekhina ... then this is very bad. It looks like we are dealing with some kind of political game."

Two Members of Pussy Riot Flee Russia