Judge stops Pussy Riot member's speech involving Putin as irrelevant
MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) - A Moscow City Court judge hearing an appeal against the conviction of Pussy Riot punk band members on Wednesday stopped Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's speech involving politics as inappropriate and irrelevant to the case.
While presenting her arguments against her conviction, Tolokonnikova tried to comment on President Vladimir Putin's political activities, but the judge stopped her and asked her to sit down.
"It is as clear as noonday that our performance at the Christ the Savior Cathedral was political rather than anti-religious. I have no religious hatred, and none of us had it in our performance," Tolokonnikova said.
She insisted that there is a difference between repentance and remorse.
"Repentance as a personal act is acceptable to us, but remorse is not, because this would mean that we acknowledge our guilt. It is impossible to feel remorse for something you did not do," Tolokonnikova said.
She once again apologized for hurting believers' feelings.