“If Pussy Riot hadn't broken the law, they would now be at home doing the housework,” says Putin

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown a lack of mercy for punk protest group Pussy Riot after they were moved to harsher prisons.

While one member of the band has been released from jail, the remaining two women have been moved to new locations, what the pair claim as “the harshest camps of all the possible choices”.

Putin, however, does not appear to have much sympathy, being quoted by the Belfast Telegraph as saying:

“Whether the sentence was too much or too little is not for me to judge. That is a matter for the court.”

He added, in rather belittling fashion:

“If they had not broken the law, they would now be at home, doing the housework, or back at their jobs.”

Two months ago, the original three members of the punk band were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and were sentenced to two years in jail.

The trio had been the subject of a lengthy trial following the performance of a “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The song requested that the Virgin Mary drive Russian president Vladimir Putin from power.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, have been named prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International. They have become a cause celebre since their incarceration, with musicians including Madonna and Paul McCartney voicing their support.

Samutsevich has now been released, but has vowed to continue with the group’s protests.