Russian church seeks clemency for rockers

MOSCOW -- The Russian Orthodox Church asked for clemency Sunday for three jailed members of a rock band if they repent for their "punk prayer" for deliverance from President Vladimir Putin at Moscow's main cathedral.

The church's statement came a day before an appeal hearing and appeared to reflect a desire to put an end to the case that has caused international outrage.

It was unclear whether the women, who were sentenced to two years last month, would offer a penitence sought by the church and how much leniency a court may show. Putin has taken an increasingly tough line on dissent since his inauguration in May.

Today's hearing has caught their relatives between hope and despair as they attempt to gauge from the words and actions of government and church officials whether the political tide will turn in their favor.

The church, in its statement, reaffirmed its condemnation of the women's raucous stunt, saying such actions "can't be left unpunished." But it added that if the women show "penitence and reconsideration of their action," their words "shouldn't be left unnoticed."

This month, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said keeping them in prison any longer would be "unproductive." But skeptics said that ahead of the band members' conviction on charges of "hooliganism driven by religious hatred" that Putin himself stated they should not be judged too harshly, raising similar hopes that proved in vain.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were arrested in March after high-kicking in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral as they pleaded with the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Putin, who was elected to a third presidential term two weeks later. -- AP