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| New Czar of all the Russias - Patriarch Kirill |
Dictator for Life Vladimir Putin hides behind Russian Orthodox Church to violate human rights! Rights of Free Speech.
The performance, a protest against the church's support for Putin, was part of a lively protest movement that at its peak saw 100,000 people turn out for rallies in Moscow, some of the largest in Russia since the Soviet Union's demise.
The plight of the three women, who have been held in a courtroom cage during pre-trial hearings, has also drawn attention in the West, where governments are closely watching how Putin will handle dissent.
Rights groups and musicians such as Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have expressed concern about the trial, reflecting doubts that Putin - who could serve until 2024 if re-elected in six years - will become more tolerant.
In her opening statement, read out by defence lawyer Violetta Volkova, Samutsevich said she saw the prosecution as "the start of a campaign of authoritarian, repressive measures aimed to ... spread fear among politically active citizens."
Amnesty International has called for the release of the defendants, two of whom have young children, saying the charges are not a "justifiable response to the peaceful - if, to many, offensive - expression of their political beliefs."
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed criticism of the case in remarks published on Monday, saying the trial was a "serious ordeal" for the defendants and their families but that "one should be calm about it" and await the outcome.
