Music

Pussy Riot members could soon be freed

by Tyler Munro

via ABC News

There’s finally some good news coming out of Russia today with word that Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina could soon be pardoned after falling under the blanket of a new presidential amnesty.

Tolokonnikova and Alekhina were famously jailed along side Yekaterina Samutsevich in 2012 under charges of hooliganism after an anti-Putin protest they organized in Moscow’s main cathedral. While Samutsevich’s sentence has since been suspended, both Alekhina and Tolokonnikova have seen their share of struggles with imprisonment. Earlier this year, Tolokonnikova’s whereabouts were briefly unknown; she later turned up thousands of miles away in a Siberian prison.

The amnesty in question looks to excuse non-violent offenders and further emphasizes the release of women with children. Tolokonnikova and Alekhina check both boxes. Still, there’s cause to concern. While an Associated Press report published yesterday expressed optimism over their possible release, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev referred to the amnesty late last week and expressed hesitance to pardon anyone that had committed “crimes against society,” an umbrella that unfortunately includes hooliganism.

So, not only is hooliganism still a crime in Russia, but its Prime Minister continues to equate it to violence. The original sentence calls for two years.

The pardon released does not include names, but could also see Greenpeace protesters freed. If it happens, you can probably point to some of the backlash in the lead up to the Sochi Olympics as the catalyst. It’s not a lot, and it hasn’t actually happened yet—but hey, it’s a start.