Russia has agreed to compensate members of the anti-Kremlin Pussy Riot punk rock group, who were jailed for two years after a controversial church performance, in compliance with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling, Russia’s Justice Ministry said on Wednesday.
Three Pussy Riot activists were convicted in 2012 on charges of hooliganism for a performance at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral that denounced President Vladimir Putin. The ECHR ruled on July 17 of this year that Russia had violated the activists’ rights in their 2012 arrest and must pay them a combined 37,000 euros ($43,500) in damages.
On Wednesday, the Justice Ministry said Russia would comply with the ECHR ruling to compensate Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich.
“The Russian authorities treat the fulfillment of all ECHR decisions with due diligence, regardless of who files them,” the Ministry’s press service was cited as saying by Interfax.
The announcement came one day after the ECHR had denied Russia’s appeal against the July ruling on Tuesday, giving it three months to pay the damages.
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