Photo via The Voice Project
For the second time in less than a week, Pussy Riot members Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina have been arrested by Russian police.
According to The Voice Project, Tolokonnikova and Alekhina were among 100 people detained outside a Moscow court on Monday. They were protesting the trial of eight opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who themselves were arrested in 2012 following a protest on the eve of Putin’s re-election as President. All eight defendants were found guilty and will serve up to four years in prison.
According to The Guardian, Amnesty International has deemed the trial a “hideous injustice” and a “show trial”. The trial was originally supposed to take place last Friday, but critics allege it was delayed to avoid the spotlight of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, which concluded on Sunday.
Six days ago, on February 18th, Tolokonnikova and Alekhina were detained in Sochi. Police held the women for over 10 hours, then over an alleged theft at their hotel. They were ultimately released without charges. However, one day later, on February 19th, they were attacked by Russian police members after performing a protest song in Sochi.
Here are more photos from today’s arrest, via The Voice Project:
