Police have detained a third suspected member of all-female punk band Pussy Riot, whose members have been targeted by law enforcement officials for their participation in an unsanctioned performance at Christ the Savior Cathedral last month.
Police called in Irina Lokteva for questioning late last week as a witness in the case, then during her interrogation told her that her status was being changed to that of a suspect, her lawyer Nikolai Polozov told Interfax.
Lokteva has been charged with hooliganism, the same offense that suspected group members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who have been held in detainment since early this month, are accused of. The charge carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
Lokteva has been jailed until a hearing Friday at which a judge will decide whether she too will be kept in pre-trial detention, Polozov said.
Members of Pussy Riot dressed in brightly colored masks, dresses and stockings appeared unannounced at Christ the Savior Cathedral on Feb. 21 for a five-minute performance. The detainment of Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina has caused uproar with their supporters, who argue that the women should not be jailed before their trial since they have young children at home. Polozov said Lokteva does not have children.
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