International criticism of sentences given to Pussy Riot trio

The US, UK and EU have criticised the sentences handed down to three members of a punk rock band in Russia, describing them as "disproportionate".

Each member of the all-female group 'Pussy Riot' was jailed for two years for staging a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main cathedral.

They were convicted of "hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred", something Amnesty International has described as "bitter blow for freedom of expression" in Russia.

Andrei Zolotov, founding editor of Russia Profile, believes the Russian authorities went too far in bringing criminal proceedings against the women:

"I think that charging them with a criminal offence was too much, there was definitely an offence it's something that should have been morally condemned", he said