Russia court frees 1 of 3 jailed punk band members

[NewsCaster]

Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP - Getty ImagesYekaterina Samutsevich, center, was freed by an appeal court after her sentence was suspended; but the court upheld two-year prison terms for Maria Alyokhina, left and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, right, seen in court Wednesday.By ReutersMOSCOW -- A Russian appeals court on Wednesday upheld the two-year jail sentences handed down to two members of punk band Pussy Riot for a protest against Vladimir Putin in a cathedral, but freed a third member by suspending her sentence.

Follow @NBCNewsWorld A Moscow City Court judge said the court was leaving the sentences in place for Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, and issuing a suspended sentence for Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30.

The three women were convicted in August of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for belting out a "punk prayer" in Moscow's main Orthodox cathedral imploring the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin.

Russian Orthodox Church to Pussy Riot punk band: Repent before appeal

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[Folami David]

I call that luck.Great luck was on her side.It is not always happening like that, her case seems to be different