2 Pussy Riot members flee Russia to evade arrest

Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have reportedly fled Russia in an attempt to evade arrest and, likely, a sentence similar to the two-year prison term handed down to their bandmates.

Pussy Riot tweeted on Sunday that the unidentified pair left with plans to recruit foreign feministsto continueprotesting.

Threeother members Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova made headlinesfor staging a"punk prayer"that blastedVladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church inside an iconic Moscow cathedral.

In February, theactivist bandhigh-kicked and dancedwhileasking the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Putin, who would be elected to a third term as Russia's president two weeks later.

Their controversial trial, which wrappedup on Aug. 17, resulted intwo-year prison sentencesfor each of the women, who were all found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

On Monday, an attorney for three jailedmembers of the Pussy Riot punk bandsaid she has appealed the verdictto the Khamovniki district court.

Prosecutors had soughta three-year prison term, but the women could have faced a maximum of seven years in jail forthe 40-second protest.

Amnesty International called the verdict "a bitter blow for freedom of expression" in Russia, adding it believes the decision was politically motivated.

The band's male and female supporters,who oftenwear the band's trademark balaclavas,havestagedprotests acrossEurope and North America to put pressure on Russia for its handling of the case. Many outside the courtroom were detained following the verdict.

Their defenders include celebrities like Madonna and Canadian artist Peaches.

Moscow police hadmaintained that they are searching for other members of Pussy Riot.