×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Pussy Riot Member Jailed for Anti-Police Brutality Protest

Pussy Riot members dressed in traditional Russian folk costumes tied an artist wearing an OMON officer’s uniform to a lamp post with caution tape. Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot member Margarita Konovalova, also known as Rita Flores, has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for staging an anti-police brutality protest near the Kremlin, the Apologia Telegram channel reported Thursday. 

During the Nov. 28 protest, Pussy Riot members in traditional Russian folk costumes tied artist Farhad Israfilli-Gelman, who was wearing an OMON officer’s uniform, to a lamp post using caution tape on Manezhnaya Square. 

The Tverskoy District Court sentenced Konovalova to 20 days of administrative arrest for repeated violations of Russian protest law, Apologia reported.

She was detained Wednesday after being taken to a hospital in an ambulance. Before the arrest, the electricity in Flores' apartment was cut off, damaging the wiring, according to attorney Mansur Gilmanov. 

Fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alekhina, who also took part in the protest, was detained the day before. Israfilli-Gelman and photographer Gleb Kuznetsov were handed administrative protocols for participating in an unauthorized action.

Under Russian law, any protest larger than one person is illegal unless authorized by the authorities in advance.

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.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more