A member of the Pussy Riot punk band has been banned from leaving Russia allegedly for evading community service she was ordered to perform after staging several public protests.
Maria Alyokhina was ordered to do 140 hours of community service for protests against the Russian security services, including displaying a banner calling the Federal Security Service (FSB) butchers and throwing paper planes outside its building in support of the Telegram messaging app.
On Tuesday, Alyokhina and her boyfriend, Orthodox activist Dmitry Enteo, posted banners outside the Federal Prison Service comparing it to a gulag in the wake of reports of widespread prison abuse. Alyokhina and Enteo said criminal investigation officers barged into their apartment the next morning.
The activist then tweeted on Wednesday from what appeared to be an airport security area that “the fellas from the FSB border service said I’m banned from leaving the country.”
Alyokhina was scheduled to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe festival on Aug. 10-19.
She told the RBC news website she was banned from leaving Russia due to her incomplete community service.
The state-run TASS news agency confirmed Wednesday that Alyokhina has been barred from boarding a flight to London at Domodedovo Airport because of unfinished community service responsibilities.
She may be detained from travel for up to 6 months, TASS said.
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