Finally, some good news on the Pussy Riot front. The two remaining imprisoned members of the Russian outfit may be home in time for Christmas (January 17 if you’re in Russia) thanks to an amnesty bill that recently won approval in Russian parliament and may have them released by the 19th of this month.
It’s been a long road for these women. The “punk prayer” incident that ran them afoul of Russian law occurred back in early 2012. While one of the three initially charged musicians, Yekaterina Samsutsevich, went free after her sentence was suspended, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were both sentenced to two years in prison. The two have since endured the tender mercy of the Russian penal system, both resorting to hunger strikes as protest. A recent, alarming move of Tolokonnikova to a Siberian prison had many worried, but while the women are hardly out of the woods, it does seem they’ll at least be out of prison soon.
Members of the band have not sat quiet throughout the ordeal, releasing a book and documentary, both raising awareness for what was already a very closely-watched situation. An upcoming Pussy Riot Freedom compilation is being released, all proceeds will go to a group in charge of the Pussy Riot support fund.
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