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2 Russian Protest Band Members Say They Have Been Arrested 2 Russian Protest Band Members Say They Have Been Arrested
(about 1 hour later)
SOCHI, Russia — Two members of the punk protest group Pussy Riot, recently released from prison under an amnesty program initiated by President Vladimir V. Putin, said they were arrested here on Tuesday.SOCHI, Russia — Two members of the punk protest group Pussy Riot, recently released from prison under an amnesty program initiated by President Vladimir V. Putin, said they were arrested here on Tuesday.
Posting on Twitter, one member of the group, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, said that she and her band mate, Maria Alyokhina, were detained in central Sochi, about 30 minutes from the Olympic Park where the Winter Games are taking place. She said they had been accused as suspects in an unspecified crime. The two women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, were detained along with other members of the group who were apparently working with them on a new song. They said the arrests had taken place in central Sochi, about 30 minutes’ drive from the Olympic Park where the Winter Games are taking place. The women and their collaborators were released from a police station in the Adler district early Tuesday evening, and at least five of them emerged wearing the colorful balaclavas that are the group’s trademark.
After several hours of questioning, the two women, along with several others, were released without charges. Five women emerged from the station wearing the colorful masks that became their symbol and singing lines from a new protest song they have been writing. Russian authorities said the group members had been questioned in connection with a theft that occurred in the hotel where the two women were staying. Supporters of the group dismissed that explanation.
In a message on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, Ms. Tolokonnikova posted a photograph that appeared to have been taken from a police vehicle traveling toward the Olympic sites. In a brief telephone interview, Ms. Tolokonnikova confirmed that she and Ms. Alyokhina had been arrested and brought to a police station in the Adler district of Sochi. The detentions appeared to be a serious public relations mistake by the local authorities, and quickly developed into a major media sensation. The women posted messages on Twitter describing their arrests in detail, including their trip in a police vehicle to the station.
Semyon Simonov, a local activist who had worked to provide legal aid for immigrant laborers employed at Olympic construction sites, said in a telephone interview that he was among a group of eight other people who were arrested with the women from Pussy Riot as they walked toward the Sochi seaport. Ms. Tolokonnikova’s husband, Pyotr Verzilov, who acts as a sort of publicity manager for Pussy Riot, said in an interview outside the police station that the theft investigation was a pretext for interfering with the production of the new song, to be called “Putin Will Teach You to Love the Motherland.” (The group has often recorded audio and visual images separately and then combined them later in a final product.)
Mr. Simonov said that police warned the group that they were under suspicion and then detained them about 20 minutes later. He said the police said the arrests were the result of a report of a theft. “The song takes several days to make,” Mr. Verzilov said. “If the police had some questions about the song, then they should have officially said that. Instead, they are trying to charge Nadya, Masha and eight other members of the group with some sort of association with a theft at the hotel.”
Last month, Mr. Simonov, who works for the nonprofit organization Memorial, was one of several activists who were denied spectator passports, which are needed along with a ticket to enter the Olympic Park. He had purchased a ticket for a hockey game for about $30. The Interfax news agency, citing a government report, said that everyone staying at the hotel was being questioned in connection with the alleged theft.
The two women have continued to be outspoken critics of Mr. Putin and the Russian government since their release on Dec. 23. They had expressed no pleasure in the amnesty program, saying it was intended to portray Mr. Putin as merciful in the days leading up to the Olympics, and that they would have preferred to serve the remaining few weeks of their two-year sentences. Ms. Tolokonnikova and Ms. Alyokhin have continued to criticize Mr. Putin and the Russian government since their release on Dec. 23. They said that the amnesty was intended to make Mr. Putin look merciful in the days leading up to the Olympics, and that they would rather have served the remaining few weeks of their two-year sentences.
Ms. Tolokonnikova and Ms. Alyukhina were convicted in connection with a protest act that they staged in Moscow’s main cathedral in which they prayed to the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Mr. Putin. The two women were convicted in connection with a protest act that they staged in Moscow’s main cathedral, praying to the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Mr. Putin.
In a series of messages on Twitter, Ms. Tolokonnikova said that the two women had been also been detained on Sunday and Monday. On Monday, she said they were held by the Federal Security Service, known as the F.S.B. In a series of messages on Twitter, Ms. Tolokonnikova said that the two women had been detained three times in three days, one of those times by the Federal Security Service, known as the F.S.B.
“On the 16th we were detained for seven hours,” she wrote. “On the 17th, we spent 10 hours with the F.S.B. and today we are in a police wagon, accused of theft.” “On the 16th, we were detained for seven hours,” she wrote. “On the 17th, we spent 10 hours with the F.S.B., and today we are in a police wagon, accused of theft.”
Ms. Tolokonnikova wrote that they had come to Sochi intended to carry out a protest. As for what they were doing, Ms. Tolokonnikova wrote: “We are in Sochi to hold a Pussy Riot action. The song is called, ‘Putin Will Teach You to Love the Motherland.’ ” But she said they had not yet carried out any protest, and were merely walking in the city when they were stopped on Tuesday.
“We are in Sochi to hold a Pussy Riot action,” she wrote. “The song is called, ‘Putin Will Teach You to Love the Motherland.” However, she said they had not yet carried out any protest and were merely walking in Sochi when they were stopped by the authorities on Tuesday.
Ms. Tolokonnikova continued to post Twitter messages from the police station throughout Tuesday afternoon, offering more details about the detention and her group’s protest plan.
The song they had intended to perform, she wrote, was devoted to defendants charged in connection with a May 2012 political protest that turned violent in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square, to “the corrupt Olympics”, to an environmental activist Evgeny Vitishko, who was recently sentenced to three years in prison, and to “suppression of freedom in Russia.”
Mr. Vitishko had been an outspoken critic of environmental damage resulting from preparations for the Olympics. He was sentenced for what was essentially a parole violation following an earlier conviction on charges related to painting graffiti on a fence.
Although there had been numerous calls for political protests during the Sochi Olympics, particularly over Russia’s law barring “propaganda” on nontraditional sexual relationships, the games so far have been largely devoid of any political demonstrations.Although there had been numerous calls for political protests during the Sochi Olympics, particularly over Russia’s law barring “propaganda” on nontraditional sexual relationships, the games so far have been largely devoid of any political demonstrations.
The Kremlin initially had sought to ban political protests outright in Sochi but Mr. Putin then issued a decree in January saying that demonstrations could take place but only with government permission and in a designated site. The local authorities chose a park in the village of Khosta, about 10 miles from the Olympic arenas, and have since said that there were few, if any, applications for rallies. The Kremlin initially tried to ban political protests outright in Sochi. Mr. Putin then issued a decree in January saying that demonstrations could take place, but only with government permission and at a designated location. The local authorities chose a park in the village of Khosta, about 10 miles from the Olympic arenas, and have since said that there were few, if any, applications for rallies.
Some activists, including a local environmental organization, have said that they had sought to apply for permits but were strongly pressured by the authorities to withdraw their requests. The environmental group, for instance, said it had decided against a demonstration and instead agreed to a meeting with local and federal officials, including the deputy minister for natural resources. Some activists, including a local environmental organization, have said that they tried to apply for permits but were strongly pressured by the authorities to withdraw their requests. The environmental group, for instance, said it had decided to meet with local and federal officials, including the deputy minister for natural resources, instead of staging a demonstration.
In any event, the park has remained mostly quiet except for the usual local residents pushing baby strollers or watching children ride bicycles. In any event, the park has remained mostly quiet, except for the usual local residents pushing baby strollers or watching children ride bicycles.
Vladimir Luxuria, a transgender former member of the Italian Parliament, said she was detained by the authorities on Sunday night after appearing in the Olympic Park with a banner that said “Gay is OK” in Russian. Ms. Luxuria was released early Monday and returned to the Olympic Park again on Monday night, wearing the gay pride movement’s signature rainbow color, and was detained again upon entering the Bolshoi Ice Dome hockey arena. Vladimir Luxuria, a transgender former member of the Italian Parliament, said she was detained by the authorities on Sunday night after appearing in the Olympic Park with a banner that said “Gay is O.K.” in Russian. Ms. Luxuria was released early Monday and returned to the Olympic Park again on Monday night, wearing the gay pride movement’s signature rainbow colors, and was detained when she entered the Bolshoi Ice Dome hockey arena.
A spokesman for the Italian Foreign Ministry said Ms. Luxuria had been detained in a police station in Sochi for two hours on Sunday before being released. Ms. Luxuria had remained in contact with the Italian consul in Moscow, the spokesman said in an email. Olympic officials denied on Monday that she had been detained the first time, but a spokesman for the Italian Foreign Ministry said she was held for two hours on Sunday at a police station, and had been in touch with the Italian consul in Moscow.
Olympics officials had denied on Monday that Ms. Luxuria had been detained. Ms. Luxuria was in Sochi to film a segment for the Italian satirical television program Le Iene, which often tackles social issues. “It’s not a coincidence that Vladimir has the same name as Putin — her parents named her that, she comes from a communist background, she knows this world,” said Davide Parenti, the principal writer for the program. “So we sent her, so that all these contradictions would emerge.”
Ms. Luxuria traveled to Sochi to film a segment for the Italian television program Le Iene, a satirical television program that often tackles social issues. “It’s not a coincidence that Vladimir has the same name as Putin, her parents named her that, she comes from a communist background, she knows this world,” said Davide Parenti, the principal author for the program. “So we sent her so that all these contradictions would emerge.” He said the segment was intended to focus on gay life in Russia. “We didn’t go to provoke a reaction, but to talk about the issue,” Mr. Parenti said. “Because what’s happening is scandalous and it has to be talked about.” He added, “We went to report it; we had no idea it could end like this.”
The segment he said, was intended to focus on gay life in Russia. “We didn’t go to provoke a reaction, but to talk about the issue,” Mr. Parenti said. “Because what’s happening is scandalous and it has to be talked about.” He added, “We went to report it, we had no idea it could end like this.” The detention of the Pussy Riot members was certain to generate far greater attention. The women became an international cause célèbre after their convictions in August 2012 on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, in connection with the cathedral protest.
The detention of the Pussy Riot members was certain to generate far greater attention. The women became an international cause célèbre after their convictions in August 2012 on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
Their case was seen as a vivid example of the Kremlin’s effort to suppress political dissent and to impose harsh prison sentences for even peaceful protest actions. Musicians and artists around the world voiced support for the band members.Their case was seen as a vivid example of the Kremlin’s effort to suppress political dissent and to impose harsh prison sentences for even peaceful protest actions. Musicians and artists around the world voiced support for the band members.