Maria Alyokhina remains behind bars after being denied parole, a second time, for her part in Pussy Riot’s protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
In May, following a Russian court’s rejection of her first bid for parole, as well as her request to attend the parole hearing, Alyokhina went on a hunger strike that would eventually hospitalize her. She ended the strike after 11 days, and Pyotr Verzilov, husband to fellow band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, said it was because Alyokhina had stated the prison’s administration had met her demands.
Tolokonnikova also remains in jail, as she and Alyokhina finish the two-year sentence they were handed in August 2012, while additional band member Yekaterina Samutsevich was freed on appeal last October. More information on the entire circumstances was revealed to the masses after HBO aired Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer last month, and Pussy Riot’s story continues to draw attention from all over the world. This includes that of musicians such as Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono, who have fought for the band’s release.
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