Maria Alekhina, a member of the Russian punk band called Pussy Riot, who had been sentenced to two years in prison for violent behaviour after putting President Vladimir Putin in a life-threatening situation at one of the band’s performance has been released from prison on Monday, confirmed her attorney.
Maria Alekhina, along with band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich were sent to prison for two years after proven guilty of expressing violent behaviour at a performance that took place at Moscow’s main cathedral last year in March. Their destructive behaviour was said to have been inspired by religious hatred, as the band claimed that their performance was a way of protesting and raising concern about the progressive manner of forming bonds between the state and the church.
One of the band members who had been sent to prison Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released after a few months due to the verdict being postponed, report AP in Moscow.
Maria Alekhina’s attorney Irina Khrunova said, Alekhina was released on Monday morning, outside the Volga river city of Nizhny Novgorod.
Khrunova told The Associated Press that upon release Alekhina went into town to meet with human rights activists. On a Russian TV channel called Dozhd, Alekhina spoke by phone where she told the TV network that she is to dedicate her life to defending human rights from now on. She also told Dozhd, that upon release from the prison settlement she felt “too shocked” to understand her situation.
An amnesty bill was passed last week by the Russian parliament that allows for thousands of prisoners to be released. Since both Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova have young children, they are qualified for amnesty. As the Winter Olympics in Sochi arrives in February of next year, the Kremlin is trying to calm the criticism of Russia’s human rights records by having the amnesty in place.
The last band member to be released, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who has been serving her time in prison in Siberia is expected to be released as well this week, said Tolokonnikova’s husband Pyotr Verzilo. Both Alekhina and Tolonnikova were scheduled to be released next year, in March.
The Russian Supreme Court ordered for the review of the Pussy Riot case earlier this month, as they said a lower court had not proven their guilt clearly; in addition to not considering their family conditions when they passed the judgement.