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Updated 11.02 AM
THE THIRD MEMBER of the Russian punk bank Pussy Riot jailed has been released from custody following an amnesty law passed by parliament.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova left the prison colony in the eastern Siberian city Krasnoyarsk today, hours after another band member, Maria Alekhina, was released in another region.
“Nadya is free!” wrote Pyotr Verzilov, as his wife walked out of the prison hospital in the Siberian city Krasnoyarsk after a Kremlin-backed amnesty.
The amnesty that enabled their release is seen as the Kremlin’s attempt to soothe criticism of Russia’s human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.
The third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on suspended sentence months after all three were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two years in prison for the performance at Moscow’s main cathedral in March 2012.
The two members of the punk Pussy Riot band freed today served one year and 10 months for staging a protest performance in Moscow’s biggest cathedral.
Maria Alyokhina, was earlier freed from prison after receiving amnesty, her lawyer and prison officials said.
“Today around 9 a.m. (0500 GMT) she walked out to freedom,” said the spokeswoman of the prison service in Nizhny Novgorod Yelena Nikishova.
“I don’t know what her further plans are,” she told AFP.
Her lawyer Pyotr Zaikin told RIA Novosti that the 25-year-old was apparently headed to the train station in the city in a prison convoy.
Reporters waiting for Alyokhina by her colony number two in Nizhny Novgorod did not get a chance to speak with her after she was whisked away, her other lawyer told AFP.
“She is being driven away in a black car, which probably belongs to the head of the colony,” said Irina Khrunova.
“They didn’t hand her over to her lawyer, probably to avoid a media frenzy,” she said.
Alyokhina and bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, whose two-year sentences for hooliganism in a Moscow church would have run out in early March, were granted amnesty last week after parliament approved a Kremlin-backed bill.
The two women were convicted and jailed on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after staging a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s largest cathedral in Februrary 2012, ahead of Vladimir Putin’s reelection, to protest the Orthodox Church’s support of the strongman during the campaign.
Their jailing turned them from almost unknown rebel punks on the fringes of Russian society to the stars of a global cause celebre symbolising the repression of civil dissent under Putin.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.
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They bared their boobs and sang a song for feck sake, they didn’t set off a bomb or kill anybody, state condoned religious overkill!
They didn’t get their boobs out.
My bad, no boobs, mores the pity I love boobs!
Judging by your profile pic Phillip….you are still using boobs as god intended!
Femen bared their boobs, not Pussy Riot.
Almost two years served, not bad. They’ll think twice before they do this again and one of them has small kids. They should count themselves lucky they didn’t decide to perform their protest inside a mosque, they probably wouldn’t be alive now….
Why would someone red thumb the truth? More limited intellect on this forum than anything else. Someone’s PC emotions impacted by my roughness?
Thankfully the history of our planet is littered with people who had had enough oppression and stood up for what they believed in! If everyone took your approach we’d have a very repressed society!
Let’s see if they’ll perform more protests in the name of “art”.
Probably should have got 10 or 20 lashes thrown in for good measure, what do you think Larry.
@Larry L’oiseau. If they did it in a Catholic church in Spain pre 1977 (death of Franco) in Argentina or Chile mid seventies to mid eighties, or in a baptist Church in Louisiana or Alabama to this very day they would have received much heavier sentences, in the case of Argentina, they would probably have joined the ranks of the disappeared. So why do you specifically mention a mosque. All religious fundamentalists/fanatics are as narrow minded and potentially dangerous as each other. Imagine doing it in a synagogue in Jerusalem.?
John, in Larry’s defence, a mosque is the modern-day version of the examples you mentioned. Perhaps in 30 years, they too will have moved into the modern world and there’ll be an alternative religion promoting extremism – perhaps Scientology?
This was nothing to do with religion. They insulted Larry’s friend, Vlad the impaler. In a civilised society they would have received a caution.
@Larry
Why you surprised re red thumbs. You seem to condone Putins actions in jailing 3 girls for what they did.
Whether you agree or not with their prank it most definitely did not warrant a jailing
I wish we had more like them.
@Larry Bird you are 100% right.
Larry Bird is away with the birds.
@aunty. You could describe Larry Bird, and yourself for that matter, as far right, ultra right or plain old full of shite, but seldom as 100% right.
I feel that their action was sacrilegious. They may not have realised how the Russian cathedral had meaning for the worshipping people, but for their impertinence they paid a price. In western countries it appears that anything goes, and a rap on the knuckles is the nature of the justice system. I for one feel that churches and places of worship should be respected, and not hooliganised by those who have an ax to grind about society.
That’s exactly how the wider Russian population felt too according to polls at the time Harry. {Though the veracity of such polls should be questioned as the Russian media is hardly transparent}.
If it was how they felt about it, we should keep that in mind rather than imposing our own ideals.
Putin is clearly on a PR drive in the run up to the winter olympics. Now if he would only repeal his anti gay laws …….
Putin and his anti gay laws. The lady doth protest too much methinks.
@Gerbeen
Oh ? Please explain
That he may be like the Scottish bishop who was anti gay in public but not in private! Do as I say not do as I do type.
Gerbreen
Fair comment and quite possibly true
He does like to ride horses with his top off. Definately protesting too much.
Wouldn’t be too worried about the horses. Or maybe.
Putrid’s PR team must be really dumb if they think these brave ladies will shut up and put up now.
Brave would be doing one of their stunts in a Chechen mosque.
Why would they do that? They don’t live in Chechnya and Islam doesn’t enjoy statutory endorsement where they are.
That would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. It’s as though people have Muslims on the brain or something.
They protested in a Russian Orthodox church because they’re Russian Orthodox. Bit like Irish Catholics making Father Ted. It’s up to Muslims to protest in a mosque.
Should have thrown away the key, vermin the lot of them
Who are vermin Enda women or protestors ? Possibly both ?
Aww what’s wrong Enda? Don’t like a bit of free speech? Perhaps you don’t like anyone who protests? Or maybe just attractive women threaten you..
I do like a good protest and I do like police beating sense into protestors also- it’s great fun cracking heads of idiots
Comradely regards to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. Here is a great exchange of letters between her (while in prison) and Slavoj Zizek:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/15/pussy-riot-nadezhda-tolokonnikova-slavoj-zizek
I see a pardons for rubles scandal abrewing. Oh wait no Putin just displaying classic dictator traits to make him look compassionate. “I pardon you”
Lets hope they learned some manners
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