 Pussy Riot said their protest was a political statement , but prosecutors said the band was trying to " incite religious hatred " against the Orthodox Church . In " Putin Zassal " , Pussy Riot had stated " The Orthodox Religion is a hardened penis / Coercing its subjects to accept conformity " , among other examples of the group 's antagonism to the Church as an organization , which it views as corrupt . Thus central issues of the case were the definition of " hatred " against a religion , and whether blasphemy can exist in a secular state . Pavel Chikov , Chairman of the Agora Human Rights Association , said that defense lawyers were able to maximize publicity by creating " a huge public outcry over the case " , but at the expense of defendants ' liability . 
