Jailed Pussy Riot band member Maria Alyokhina faces disciplinary action for failing to get up on time at the prison colony where she is serving out a two-year sentence for an anti-Kremlin performance in Moscow's main cathedral.
Alyokhina, an inmate at the Perm region's Prison No. 28, will be disciplined for "failing to wake up at 6 a.m." Pyotr Verzilov, founder of radical art group Voina and husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, another jailed Pussy Riot rocker, wrote on Twitter late Tuesday.
"This punishment might be used to deny Alyokhina parole, which she might ask for in the future," Verzilov told Interfax on Wednesday, adding that Alyokhina's lawyers would appeal any disciplinary action in the coming days.
Late last month, Alyokhina was placed in solitary confinement due to tense relations with her fellow inmates. At the time, Verzilov said that Alyokhina wanted to return to her normal cell but that prison officials wouldn't let her.
Meanwhile, fellow punk rocker Tolokonnikova, who is serving time in a Mordovia republic prison over the same scandalous performance, has told her lawyers that she is feeling well.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were convicted in August of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. Their performance split society and provoked a backlash from conservative religious believers.
A third Pussy Riot band member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was let off with a suspended sentence on appeal in October.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
