President Putin said he hopes Russian courts do not judge Pussy Riot too harshly. (WEC/Flickr)

Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich are being tried on "charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred over the performance in which they called on the Virgin Mary to 'throw Putin out'," according to Reuters.

The band said they were not motivated by hate but protesting the close ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the state, especially when the Church's leader, Patriarch Kirill, gave Putin his support during the presidential campaign.

Reuters said Western governments and human rights groups as well as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other performers have called for their immediate release. This pressure seems to have influenced the former KGB officer Putin who has signed laws raising fines for protestors and tightening control of the Internet - often used to organize protests. 

The women have already been jailed for about five months and face the maximum seven years in prison if found guilty.

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