MOSCOW, May 5 - RAPSI, Ksenia Karpova. The Magistrate's court fined 26 proponents and opponents of the Pussy Riot punk-gang from $17 to $23 for holding a rally at the Moscow Tagansky district court, the court spokesperson told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) on Saturday.
The court passed the sentence on April 27. Reportedly, 19 individuals had been fined by Friday.
The detainees were charged with violating proceedings at the rally.
The Interior Ministry's press office reported earlier that the police detained nearly 30 people at the Tagansky district court during a hearing on the arrest extension for members of the Pussy Riot punk-gang.
On February 21, five masked members of the Pussy Riot punk-group performed a protest song called "Holy Sh*t" at the cathedral's altar.
The song included lyrics such as "Holy Mother, Blessed Virgin, chase Putin out!" Pussy Riot said the performance was a response to Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill's backing of President-elect Vladimir Putin in the March 4 election landslide. The patriarch called Putin's 12 years in power a "miracle of God" in a televised meeting.
The video of their performance was posted on the Internet and incited a major public uproar.
Three alleged members of the rally have been placed under arrest, charged with hooliganism. They face up to seven years in prison. The court ruled that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyukhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich should remain in custody until June 24.