Garry Kasparov among those arrested as hundreds gather outside Russian court where the verdict is delivered

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Russian police have rounded up pro-Pussy Riot protesters, including former world chess champion Garry Kasparov and leftist opposition group leader Sergei Udaltsov, after the feminist punk band was found guilty of hooliganism in one of the most closely watched court cases in recent Russian history.

Hundreds of Pussy Riot supporters filled a narrow street outside the court where the verdict was delivered, chanting "Russia without Putin!" amid a heavy police presence.

The judge ruled that the women had committed hooliganism driven by religious hatred.

The three were arrested in March after a guerrilla performance in Moscow's main cathedral in which they called for the Virgin Mary to protect Russia against Vladimir Putin, who was elected to a new term as Russia's president a few days later.

They face a maximum seven years in prison. The sentence is to be handed down later on Friday.

Russian police detain Garry Kasparov. Photograph: Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters

The case has attracted international attention as an emblem of Russia's intolerance of dissent. It also underlines the vast influence of the Russian Orthodox church. Although church and state are formally separate, the church sees itself as the heart of Russian national identity and critics say its strength effectively makes it a quasi-state entity.

Celebrities including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Björk have called for the women to be freed and protests timed for just before the verdict or soon afterward were planned in more than three dozen cities worldwide.

Prosecutors have asked for three-year sentences and Putin himself has said he hopes the sentencing is not "too severe".

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Before Friday's proceedings began, the defence lawyer Nikolai Polozov said the women "hope for an acquittal but they are ready to continue to fight".

Even if the women are sentenced only to time already served, the case has already clouded Russia's esteem overseas and stoked the resentment of opposition partisans who have turned out in a series of rallies since last winter.

The case comes after several laws were passed to crack down on opposition, including one that raised the fine for taking part in unauthorised demonstrations 150-fold to 300,000 rubles (about £6,000). Another measure requires non-government organisations that both engage in vaguely defined political activity and receive funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents".