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Three members of an all-girl punk rock band on trial for bursting into a Russian Orthodox church and singing a protest against Vladimir Putin arrived at a Moscow courthouse on Wednesday (August 8).
Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, could face up to seven years in jail for storming the altar of Christ the Saviour Cathedral on Feb. 21 and belting out a "punk prayer" calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin, who has been in power since 2000.
The group has received support from a host of activists and Western musicians.
On Tuesday pop star Madonna donned the group's trademark balaclava during a concert in Moscow to demand Russia free the three group members.