The
Moscow arm of
CNN say that within hours of being freed from prison (on Wednesday),
PuSsY RiOt member
Yekaterina Samutsevich vowed to resume the political protesting, that led to her incarceration earlier this year (for a so-called act of “hooliganism”) with fellow band members
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina.
Samutsevich was freed after a judge accepted that she was ejected from the cathedral ‘before the punk prayer’ even took place. (He suspended her sentence on this technicality.)
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina, the two collective members, who were arrested along with Yekaterina, lost their appeals; their two year sentences were upheld.
However, Pussy Riot is a five piece
punk band: The two remaining band members fled
Russia last month, out of fear of reprisals. They intend to recruit ‘foreign feminists’ in the fight against
President Vladimir Putin.
Samutsevich talked to CNN about the rumours of splits in the band, and the future:
“We are not finished, nor are we going to end our political protest. The situation in the country [Russia] has deteriorated since our performance and the trial itself is a testimony to that.”
Pussy Riot do have some support in Russia though, mainly from the feminine masses. Even Russia’s Prime Minister,
Dmitry Medvedev, thinks the that a suspended sentence would be ‘entirely sufficient’ for all band members.
Charles, Prince of Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
