Pussy Riot Member Detained in Moscow
Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova has been detained in Moscow, where she had been conducting a peaceful protest with activist Katherine Nenasheva.
While stitching a Russian flag in Bolotnaya Square, police asked Tolokonnikova and Nenasheva to end their protest. After refusing to do so, the activists were dragged away from the square by the officers.
According to The New York Times, the police issued a statement to the Russian news agency Interfax confirming that the protesters had been charged with “disturbing public order.”
“For 30 days the activist Katherine Nenasheva will be living her regular life wearing a prison robe of a female convict,” Tolokonnikova wrote in a statement on the protest titled “Don’t Be Afraid.” “She goes to exams, takes meetings, goes to the movies, gets groceries, goes out — she continues her daily life.
“June 12th is the 18th day of Katherine Nenasheva’s action and also Russia Day – an important holiday in Russia that celebrates our flag and Constitution. On this day I am joining Katherine to sew a huge Russian flag in the same prison uniform that I wore during my time in the prison camps.”
A representative for Tolokonnikova has confirmed that both women have been released and that an appointment with the judge is usually set for one week after detainment.
The punk artist had previously been arrested in 2012 alongside bandmate Maria Alyoknia for “hooliganism” following a performance on the altar of an Orthodox cathedral that mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin. They spent nearly two years behind bars and were finally released in December 2013.