Members Of Russian Punk Band Pussy Riot To Have Prison Sentences Reviewed

NULL

PopWrapped Admin

Published

December 13, 2013

Catherine Meushaw

Staff Writer

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the band Pussy Riot, are set to have their sentences reviewed, according to Digital Spy. The order comes from Russia’s highest court, the Supreme Court, which criticized the guilty verdicts the two women received. Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were sentenced to two years in prison in August 2012, their crime being, “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” In an appeal in October 2012, Samutsevich was released.

Their sentences are being reviewed because the lack of previous convictions, the “non-violent nature” of the protest, and the fact that both women are mothers, were factors not taken into consideration by the court.

The two women are expected to be released within three months, after the court reviews the original sentence.

Pussy Riot has received support from advocacy groups and fellow musicians, like Adele, One Direction, and Madonna.

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, a documentary following their case, was nominated for an Oscar.