The latest signals out of Russia regarding the world's most
famous protest band are that the three imprisoned members of Pussy Riot: Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina; may soon be freed.
This comes after Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted on Wednesday as saying that additional time
in jail for the three women would be “unproductive”. His statement echoes one made by Russian
President Vladimir Putin last month when he said he hoped that the three women
would not spend a long time in prison shortly before they were sentenced after
being found guilty on charges of “hooliganism driven by religious hatred”
following their performance of a “punk prayer” last February at Moscow's Christ
the Savior cathedral. The women received
sentences of two years in prison, though originally they could have faced
sentences of as long as seven years.
The case of Tolokonnikova, Samutsevich and Alyokhina has
become a source of international condemnation for Russia as artists and human
rights groups around the world have rallied to Pussy Riot's cause. Their case is set for appeal on October 1.
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