MOSCOW, June 22 - RAPSI. The Pussy Riot punk group's members who have been charged with hooliganism in a church have contested their arrest's extension, their lawyer Mark Feigin said on Friday.

"I have just filed appeals with the Tagansky District Court in Moscow, which earlier ruled for the extension of the arrest until July 24," he said.

Feigin said he requested the reversal of the decision.

The group of five masked women performed a protest song titled, "Holy Sh*t," at the altar of the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.

The lyrics included lines such as, "Holy Mother, Blessed Virgin, Chase Putin Out!"

The video was posted online and evoked a massive public outcry.

Pussy Riot said their performance was a reaction to Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill's backing of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the run-up to his landslide March 4 election victory. The patriarch called the 12 years of Putin's rule a "miracle of God" at a televised meeting.

Group members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested. They are accused of hooliganism and face up to seven years in prison.