Pussy Riot Members Sentenced to Russian Prison in Absentia

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A Moscow court has sentenced five members of the exiled feminist art collective Pussy Riot to prison in absentia on charges relating to anti-war protest and performances critical of Vladimir Putin’s regime. The jail terms delivered by Judge Evgeniya Nikolaeva of Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ranged from eight to 13 years, according to Mediazona, the news outlet founded by Pussy Riot. Founding Pussy Riot member Alyokhina received the harshest prison sentence of 13 years and 15 days. Still from Pussy Riot’s 2013 music video, “Like a Red Prison” (photo courtesy Pussy Riot)Since the group formed in 2011, Pussy Riot’s membership has fluctuated between 10 and 20 members. In 2023, Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova was placed on Russia’s Wanted List and later arrested in absentia on charges related to anti-Putin protests.