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All three Pussy Riot members freed from jail in Russia

The final member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot has been released from prison. It follows an...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.12 23 Dec 2013


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All three Pussy Riot members f...

All three Pussy Riot members freed from jail in Russia

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.12 23 Dec 2013


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The final member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot has been released from prison. It follows an amnesty bill passed by the parliament there which has seen dozens of anti-Putin demonstrators released from State custody.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (24) is calling for a boycott of the Winter Olympics, which will be held in Russia in February.

And she says the amnesty is a PR move by the Putin government.

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She along with other members Maria Alyokhina (25) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (31) were jailed over a performance at Moscow's main cathedral in March 2012.

Ms. Samutsevich was released several months later on a suspended sentence.

The band insisted their protest was meant to raise their concerns about increasingly close ties between the State and the church.

The Russian Supreme Court earlier this month ordered a review of the Pussy Riot case - saying a lower court did not fully prove their guilt and did not take their family circumstances into consideration.

Ms. Alyokhina and Ms. Tolokonnikova qualified for the amnesty because they have small children.

The amnesty has been largely viewed as an attempt by The Kremlin to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights record.

Pictured above: An Amnesty International protest calling for their release


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