Pussy Riot member appeal denied

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One member of Russian punk protest group, Pussy Riot, has had her conviction appeal denied.

Maria Alyokhina, 24, was seeking to be released so she could look after her five-year-old son.

However, the Berezniki City Court said that this had already been taken into consideration before the sentencing.

The child is currently been cared for by Alyokhina’s mother.

Last year three members of the punk band were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and 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.

Alyokhina was sentenced along with Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22 and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30; the latter of whom has since been released.

You can watch the performance that led to their initial arrest below: