Pussy Riot member was arrested at a protest in Moscow.
BBC has reported that Maria Alyokhina, a member of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot, was arrested at a protest in Moscow.
The activist was protesting the sentence of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was given three years in prison for fraud, a case he claims was politically motivated. Navalny called for protests after his brother was also given three years for the same conviction.
Navalny was also arrested at the protest, but will not be receiving further sentencing.
Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina was also jailed in 2012, after Pussy Riot performed a “punk prayer” at a protest against President Putin. Alyokhina was apparently arrested for “hooliganism,” along with band mate Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Earlier this year, the pair were detained in Sochi during the investigation of a hotel theft, but they were released.
Recently, Pussy Riot released a video for the song “Witches of Pussy Riot Clean Manezhka,” which shows them flying around on broomsticks.
The band has released eight songs and six videos since their formation in 2011, and have been praised by such western musicians as Madonna and Paul McCartney for their activism.
When asked about their views on America, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova told Pitchfork,
We find it very inspiring. But obviously, there are things we don’t like, too. Not really things that we’ve seen before our own eyes, but we’re really disappointed by the Occupy disbursement procedure, and that it was dispersed by police. There are areas of official life in the United States that are similar to Russia. For example: disbursement of protest, and the way American prisons are run, which is pretty tough.
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