Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were both released from Russian prisons on Monday, the Associated Press reports. Following their release, both members spoke to the media and were still critical of Russia's government and President Vladimir Putin. Upon her realease, Tolokonnikova shouted, "Russia without Putin!," according to the Free Pussy Riot Twitter account.
Alyokhina spoke with The New York Times saying she believes Putin's amnesty law, which allowed them to be released early, was purely a PR stunt. "I think this is an attempt to improve the image of the current government, a little, before the Sochi Olympics-particularly for the Western Europeans," Alyokhina told them. "But I don't consider this humane or merciful. This is a lie. We didn't ask for any pardon. I would have sat here until the end of my sentence because I don't need mercy from Putin."
Their release from prison marks the end of an almost two-year struggle to free the Russian activists. The two members were serving a two-year sentence for performing the protest song "Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away" in a Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow's main cathedral on February 21, 2012. In August the members were found guilty of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred or hostility." The two women were convicted along with fellow Pussy Riot member Yekaterina Samutsevitch, who was let go last year on appeal.
Alyokhina went on a hunger strike in May, which lead to her being hospitalized. Tolokonnikova wrote an open letter explaining the horrid conditions of the prisoners and the human rights violations they were enduring. She disappeared for 21 days during a "routine transfer" and turned up in a Siberian prison hospital in mid-November.
They were due to be released in March but were freed early under amnesty partly because they are both mothers of small children. The new amnesty law, which was supported by Putin and a 446-0 passing vote in The State Duma, provides that prisoners "who haven't committed violent crimes, first-time offenders, minors and women with small children" are granted their freedom from imprisonment.
However, this amnesty was not drafted for the activists but rather to mark the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution. Despite freeing the two women, Putin said last week that he does not regret throwing them in prison even though it drew criticism from Western nations and a handful of global celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Madonna, Green Day, the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock and more.
"I was not sorry that they (the Pussy Riot members) ended up behind bars," Putin said after the amnesty announcement was made. "I was sorry that they were engaged in such disgraceful behaviour, which in my view was degrading to the dignity of women. They went beyond all boundaries."
The film Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer is on the Oscar's short list for Best Documentary. Watch a news report featuring footage of the freed Pussy Riot members here, and leave us your comments below!
