Pussy Riot supporter priest to be defrocked

A priest who supported the Pussy Riot protesters in Russia is to be defrocked by the Russian orthodox church.

Deacon Sergei Baranov had already resigned over the church's treatment of three members of the band, who were jailed for two years for staging a protest against President Vladimir Putin in one of Moscow's main cathedrals.

The imprisonment sparked condemnation in many parts of the world. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also suggested that they should be released.

The church has accused Deacon Baranov of using the case as an excuse to leave the church.

Julie Peacock reports.