Pussy Riot Member Denied Parole
A member of Pussy Riot on hunger strike in prison has been denied parole by a Russian court. Maria Alyokhina’s bid for release was rejected on grounds that she frequently defies prison authorities and has failed to repent for what the court characterized as her crimes, the BBC reports.
Alyokhina began a hunger strike earlier this week after the authorities denied her permission to attend her parole hearing, prompting expressions of support from musicians including Paul McCartney.
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“This looked not like a court hearing, but arm-twisting,” Alyokhina’s mother told Svoboda Radio, which carried a live video feed from the hearing.
Fellow member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was also denied parole last month, but was allowed to attend the April 26th hearing. Third member Yekaterina Samutsevich was released in October after an appeals court suspended her sentence. The three were each sentenced to two years in prison after they were convicted last August on charges of hooliganism for stating a “punk prayer” protest against Russian president Vladimir Putin in the main cathedral in Moscow.
Since her release, Samutsevich has sought to raise awareness regarding the punk group’s conflict issue with the Russian government.