More updates on the plight of Russian political punk collective Pussy Riot have come in. The BBC is reporting that the three jailed members of the group will remain in custody for an additional six months, per a court ruling. The three women The three women (Maria Alyokhina, 24, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 19, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22) have been in pre-trial detention since March of this year, following an anti-Putin protest staged in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral. They are being charged with "aggravated hooliganism," and face up to seven years in jail if convicted.

Human rights NGO Amnesty International, who have classified the accused as "prisoners of conscience," are collecting signatures for a petition to drop the charges against and release the Pussy Riot members.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Russian court will be broadcasting the trio's trial, which began with a preliminary hearing yesterday. The next hearing is scheduled for July 30th. As for who will appear at the trial, the court rejected the defense's proposed witness list, which included Russian president Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill.