Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina. Photo courtesy of Twitter community Voina (War)
Two members of the scandalously notorious Pussy Riot punk band Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina are thinking about moving to Astana, Kazakhstan, Tengrinews reports citing Regnum news agency. The Pussy Riot girls posted a photo of them standing against a Kazakhstan Temir Zholy train coach in their Twitter. "Tolokno and Alyokhina can no longer tolerate Putin's regime and are immigrating to the beautiful country of Kazakhstan," the comment under the photo reads. Tolokonnikova, 24, Alyokhina, 25, and the third member Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested several weeks after staging a brief "punk prayer" on February 17, 2012 in a Russian Orthodox Church cathedral in a protest against Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign when he was running for the third term. The church was outraged with the performance. The international community tagged their trial unfair and global celebrities like Madonna called the authorities to release the girls. Samutsevich was released on appeal with a suspended sentence, but the appeals of Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were rejected. European Parliament included Pussy Riot members into the short-list of the 2012 prestigious prize named after Soviet human rights activist Andrey Sakharov. The Sakharov Prize is annually awarded to individuals and organizations who have made an important contribution into protection of human rights. Alyokhina and her bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were granted amnesty in December 2013.
Two members of the scandalously notorious Pussy Riot punk band Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina are thinking about moving to Astana, Kazakhstan, Tengrinews reports citing Regnum news agency.
The Pussy Riot girls posted a photo of them standing against a Kazakhstan Temir Zholy train coach in their Twitter. "Tolokno and Alyokhina can no longer tolerate Putin's regime and are immigrating to the beautiful country of Kazakhstan," the comment under the photo reads.
Tolokonnikova, 24, Alyokhina, 25, and the third member Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested several weeks after staging a brief "punk prayer" on February 17, 2012 in a Russian Orthodox Church cathedral in a protest against Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign when he was running for the third term. The church was outraged with the performance.
The international community tagged their trial unfair and global celebrities like Madonna called the authorities to release the girls. Samutsevich was released on appeal with a suspended sentence, but the appeals of Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were rejected.
European Parliament included Pussy Riot members into the short-list of the 2012 prestigious prize named after Soviet human rights activist Andrey Sakharov. The Sakharov Prize is annually awarded to individuals and organizations who have made an important contribution into protection of human rights.
Alyokhina and her bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were granted amnesty in December 2013.