Lyusya Stein, a member of the Russian feminist and punk performance art collective Pussy Riot, has been handed a six-year and 15-day prison sentence in absentia by the Basmanny District Court in Moscow for allegedly disseminating false information about the Russian Armed Forces, as per a verdict delivered on Wednesday, March 27.
Apart from the prison term, the court also ruled that Stein has been prohibited from managing websites or posting content on the internet or any other communication networks for 3.5 years. (Related: Senior Russian military officer warns that Ukraine conflict could become FULL-BLOWN WAR in Europe.)
Prosecutors, who initially sought an 8.5-year sentence for the activist, clarified that Stein's sentence includes the remainder of her previous conviction from August 2021. The verdict will be enforced upon her extradition to Russia or her detention within Russian territory.
Stein reportedly departed Russia in April 2022 alongside fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina after both were sentenced to one year in prison for participating in protests that allegedly violated Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
The recently concluded case against Stein dates back to 2022, when the Russian government accused her of tarnishing the armed forces' reputation online.
Following this, she was placed on the national wanted list. In November 2023, the Basmanny court issued an "in absentia" arrest warrant for two months, leading to her placement on the international wanted list.
One of the latest reports of Stein indicates that she may be in hiding in Switzerland with other Pussy Riot members in exile.
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What is Pussy Riot?
Pussy Riot is an internationally recognized feminist punk rock protest and performance art organization founded in 2011 by Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, both former members of the politically-charged street art group Voina ("War"). Pussy Riot is known for its emphasis on public performances and spectacles.
The collective operates more as a loose association than a defined group, with membership fluctuating between three to eleven women at any given time. Tolokonnikova has described Pussy Riot as a "movement" rather than a music band, emphasizing the involvement of numerous individuals in political actions under its banner.
Pussy Riot rose to international prominence with the 2012 "punk prayer" in a Moscow cathedral criticizing President Vladimir Putin's connections with the Russian Orthodox Church. This led to the imprisonment of Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina.
Since then, Pussy Riot has continued to stage daring guerrilla performances, including disrupting the 2018 FIFA World Cup final to protest against political arrests and the lack of political competition in Russia.
Beyond their activism, Pussy Riot is also recognized for releasing Russian-language songs. This includes the group's hit feminist punk song "Ubey Seksista" ("Kill the Sexist"), which they first sang during a public demonstration.
Several members of Pussy Riot were among the thousands detained while protesting for the release of Alexei Navalny in January.
In the lead-up to Russia's Victory Day holiday on May 9, 2021, member Veronika Nikulshina was detained on suspicion of disrupting rehearsals for the military parade. Later in June, Nikulshina was detained again, accused of planning to disrupt the Euro 2020 football championship.
Furthermore, Alyokhina, Stein, Alexander Sofeyev and Anna Kuzminykh were detained in late June and sentenced to 15 days of arrest on various charges. All members maintain their innocence, attributing the arrests to their association with Pussy Riot.
These arrests are seen by Kremlin critics as part of a broader effort to suppress opposition activity ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in September. As a result, several Pussy Riot members have fled the country or expressed intentions to leave due to concerns of persecution.
Watch this short clip of Pussy Riot being confronted for attempting to stage a protest to disrupt the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
This video is from the Frenchit channel on Brighteon.com.
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